Politics

John Rees-Evans: The donkey in the room

Published

7 years ago

October 28, 2016

John Rees-Evans: Potential UKIP leader

ONE of UKIP’s more colourful characters – in a party which has traditionally set the bar for eccentricity quite high – has thrown his hat into the ring for the party leader job.

Following Diane James’ fleeting spell at the helm, the role of party leader is currently occupied (again) by Nigel Farage, although it has been made clear that he is acting on an interim basis this time.

However, following the exit of bookies’ favourite Stephen Woolfe, who left the party after an alleged brawl with another MEP at the EU Parliament building in Strasbourg, John Rees-Evans announced this week that he was standing, alongside Paul Nuttall, Suzanne Evans, and Breitbart UK founder Raheem Kassam.

Mr Rees-Evans previously hit the headlines in 2014, after he was filmed telling protestors outside the opening of UKIP’s Merthyr branch that a male donkey had tried to ‘rape’ his stallion.

A series of the more outré claims made by elected members of UKIP was read out to Mr Rees-Evans, including a quotation from former UKIP Oxford chair Dr Julia Gasper, who claimed homosexuals prefer sex with animals.

His response, immortalised in full, ran thus: “Actually, I’ve witnessed that. I was personally quite amazed.

“I’ve got a horse, it was in the fields, and a donkey came up – my horse is a stallion.

“A donkey came up which is male, and I’m afraid tried to rape my horse.

“My horse bit the side of the donkey, and I had to give my horse a slap to protect the donkey.”

“So, in this case, [she’s] obviously correct but I don’t think that’s what it meant, it’s just a bizarre coincidence.”

It is worth pointing out that neither this incident, or telling a hustings that he urinated in bottles to reduce his CO2 footprint, prevented Mr Rees- Evans from getting 13% of the vote in Cardiff South and Penarth in the 2015 General Election – an increase of 11% on 2010.

Mr Rees-Evans, who grew up in Africa and was educated in 11 different schools, is a former soldier who trained with the parachute regiment.

After leaving the forces, he attempted to work as an ‘expeditioneer’, taking a wide array of jobs including pizza delivery and labouring on a building site to fund expeditions.

However, after the birth of his first child in 2003, he set up a tour company and, according to his biography, has ‘since developed a handful of other small businesses which span the tourism, business development, legal services and real estate sectors in Africa and Europe’.

Since coming to the attention of the British media, Mr Rees-Evans has had to play down a couple of the more headline-grabbing anecdotes which surround him. Prospective voters will be reassured to know that the ‘fortified compound’ in Bulgaria where Vice magazine interviewed him in 2015 is apparently little more than a garden with a wall around it.

Similarly, Mr Rees-Evans explained that rumours stating he persuaded a shop assistant in a Bulgarian Ikea store to let him carry his gun in case terrorists took over the building were also misconstrued. He admitted he did have the gun on him when he entered the store because ‘it wasn’t safe to hand it over to store security and I had some things I had to get.’.

In a recent appearance on the Daily Politics show, Mr Rees-Evans pointed out that the host, Jo Coburn, was focussing on these stories rather than his vision for the party: “Do you know, Jo, it’s really interesting what you’re doing because I am trying to tell you my serious vision for UKIP and you keep trivialising it,” he remarked.

“It [the donkey story] was a bit of playful banter with a mischievous activist. I would be so appreciative if you could please just understand the concept that I am trying to communicate to your viewers.”

One concept which has yet to be discussed was a policy proposal made by Mr Rees-Evans on his blog in the aftermath of the Paris attacks last year.

Warning that ‘a devastating Mumbai/Paris-style attack on UK soil should be considered inevitable and imminent’, he suggested that a ‘volunteer civilian defence force’, using existing Special Forces troops, followed by civilians ‘irrespective of previous military experience’ should be formed. This force, he recommended, should be ‘required to complete an advanced tactical IPSC-standard training course, with a view to obtaining proficiency in the use of several small arms, with emphasis on the Glock 17, and common variants of Kalashnikov’.

“Once qualified, VCDF marshals should be required to carry a concealed Glock 17, spare magazine, and not fewer than 30 rounds at all times, unless logged as inactive,” he suggested.

Marshals would be only permitted to engage combatants at ranges above 30m if ‘there are no innocents/ friendlies within 300 mils of marshal’s sight picture’. Firing a warning shot should also not be required due to the risk of ricochet in built-up environments.

A marshal would only be permitted to engage a target where ‘either a) a shot has already been fired or b) a combatant has raised his/her weapon to aim’.

Given that support for an armed undercover militia is patchy at best in Britain, Mr Rees-Evans may have a better chance of becoming UKIP leader if media attention continues to focus on his horse. However, it is worth mentioning that a YouGov poll taken in 2015 showed that 44% of those who voted UKIP in 2015 could imagine supporting an army coup against the elected government.

News

Call to take part in Council’s Budget 2024 – 25 consultation

Published

7 days ago

December 1, 2023

Tom Sinclair

A CALL is going out for people to have their say on Pembrokeshire County Council’s budget for the coming year, 2024-25.
Like all other Councils in Wales, the Council continues to face significant budget pressures – especially in light of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
The Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Alec Cormack, encouraged all those interested in how the Council is funded and how it spends its funds to take part in the consultation.

“It’s very important that we hear from as many people in Pembrokeshire as possible,” he said.
“Like other Councils, we are once again facing significant budget pressures and understanding community and household priorities is vital in helping us to make the difficult choices necessary in setting the 2024-25 budget.
“We look forward to hearing from you.”
The consultation includes a range of proposals on service changes, fees and charges and Council Tax.
To find out more and to give your views go to: https://haveyoursay.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/budget-consultation-2024-25
The closing date for responses is Wednesday 3rd January 2024

News

Tenby holiday park solar panels plans get thumbs-up

Published

1 week ago

November 30, 2023

Bruce Sinclair Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for nearly 600 solar panels at a Pembrokeshire holiday park have been approved by council officers.

Kiln Park Estates Limited applied to Pembrokeshire County Council to install 589 solar panels, each rated at 400watts, at Kiln Park Holiday Centre, Marsh Road, Tenby.

No objection to the application was made by neighbouring community council Penally.

A report for planning officers said the roof-mounted panels at the holiday centre “would result in positive economic and social benefits through the generation of renewable energy to support the provision of a facility to serve the visitor economy”.

The report added: “The site is located in close proximity to the boundary of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (PCNP), which cuts through the north-east portion of the holiday entertainment centre and the static caravans to the east.

“The PCNP Authority has confirmed that the proposal is sensitively sited on the roof of the complex and would have no impact on the landscape nor special qualities of the National Park and therefore does no object.

“It is considered that the scale and siting of the proposal and use of the materials would not have a significant detrimental impact on the residential or visual amenity of the area.”

The application was conditionally approved under delegated powers, with a condition works start within five years.

News

Air Quality Bill passes amid road charging row

Published

1 week ago

November 29, 2023

Jon Coles

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT’s Air Quality legislation only awaits Royal Assent after passing its final vote in the Senedd.

The World Health Organisation has described air pollution as the world’s largest environmental health risk and noise pollution as the second largest risk in Western Europe.

The Welsh Government is the first government in the UK to bring forward legislation that requires governmental consideration of soundscapes, and the Bill places a duty on Welsh Ministers to promote awareness of air pollution and to publish a progressive national soundscapes strategy.

The Bill, introduced to the Senedd in March 2023, passed on Tuesday, November 28.
It implements measures that contribute to improvements in the quality of the air environment in Wales and reduces the impacts of air pollution on human health, biodiversity, the natural environment and the economy.

Wales experiences some of the United Kingdom’s poorest air quality, and air pollution presents the nation-state’s biggest environmental risk to public health. The health impacts of air pollution exposure within the country are estimated to contribute to 1,400 premature deaths annually.

The Welsh Government has enjoyed considerable cross-party support during the Bill’s long gestation, with Conservative members repeatedly criticising the failure to bring forward a Bill in the last Senedd term, which ended in 2021.However, despite supporting most of the Bill’s principles, the Conservatives voted against its passage on the issue of road charging.

The Welsh Government has repeatedly claimed it has “no plans to introduce road charging” in Wales.
Mark Drakeford made the position explicit in October. Even with the provisions clearly stated in the Bill – Climate Change Minister Julie James repeated that line during Tuesday’s debate.

The Welsh Government’s line is that although it now has the power to introduce road charging to improve air quality, it will do so, as far as Julie James says, “only as a last resort”.
Welsh Ministers do not “plan” to introduce it unless the “last resort” arrives.

As attempts to defuse electorally difficult issues go, several angels are dancing on a very small pinhead.
Janet Finch-Saunders, the Conservative’s Shadow Climate Change Minister, seized on the road charging issue and claimed the Welsh Government was targeting motorists.

She said: “Throughout the Environment Bill’s passage through the Welsh Parliament, the Welsh Conservatives aimed to make the Bill succeed for the people of Wales by achieving amendments that would make it work better.”

The Aberconwy MS continued: “Nevertheless, with the Labour Government’s Environment Bill introducing road charging for hard-working residents simply trying to get on with their lives, the Welsh Conservatives could not support it.”

A pointed intervention by Plaid MS Llyr Gruffydd diminished the potential for the Conservatives to gain political traction on the issue.

He asked what lessons the Welsh Government had learned from the Conservative Westminster Government’s introduction of road charging in England.

The way the Conservatives chuntered at the gibe underlined its effectiveness.

Climate Change Minister Julie James said: “I am delighted the Senedd has passed the Bill. It demonstrates a collective commitment to support preventative action about air, noise and soundscapes to achieve public health and environmental improvements.
“This Bill enables us to deliver enhanced air quality targets for Wales, with strengthened duties for Welsh Ministers to set out how we will improve our air environment. It also improves our legislative powers to manage air quality better at the local and regional levels. Finally, it sets out important new duties for Welsh Ministers to promote awareness of air pollution alongside ways of reducing its impact.

“We must empower this generation and future generations with knowledge of the impacts of air pollution and the steps they can take to minimise their exposure.

“Now is the time for action. I look forward to continued collaboration with delivery partners, stakeholders and the public to implement the Bill.”

The Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Sir Frank Atherton, said: “Wales already has a strong track record of leading the way in protecting the public’s health. The Bill shows the dedication and commitment across the Welsh Government to improving the air we breathe and promoting healthy soundscapes.

“We know exposure to air and noise pollution can increase the risk of serious illness, impact our wellbeing, and reduce our quality of life. That is why I am delighted this legislation has become law.

“By making our air cleaner and our sound environment better, we can improve public health for current and future generations.”

As for road charging, it all depends on how much you trust the Welsh Government.