News
AM announces leadership intentions
ELUNED MORGAN AM, Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, has announced that she would like to stand for election to be the next leader of the Labour Party in Wales.
Ms Morgan has made it clear that she believes a thorough debate should take place regarding the future direction of Labour Party policy in Wales and that the opportunity must be seized to renew the party in office through the election of a new leader.
The Former MEP and Former Shadow Minister in the House of Lords said: “Labour has been in power in Wales since the Assembly was established back in 1999; I believe that I would be the candidate to represent change in this election. I am a relatively new member of the National Assembly, but I have decades of broader political experience having represented Wales in the European Parliament for 15 years and served on the front benches in the House of Lords.
“The Party needs to focus unrelentingly on tackling poverty in Wales, and the way to do that is to grow the economy and provide quality jobs and training. The fall-out from Brexit will be the dominating issue for at least the next five years in Wales, and I feel that my 15 years’ experience as a Welsh MEP in Brussels has taught me how to negotiate difficult and conflicting positions.”
When Carwyn Jones announced his intention to step down last month, Ms Morgan launched a national listening exercise on an online forum, ‘Beyond the Bubble’, inviting people to share their ideas, hopes and visions for the future of Wales.
She emphasised the necessity of reaching out to all parts of Wales stretching beyond Cardiff Bay and the Labour Party in an attempt to develop new policy ideas to ensure that they are in tune with the people who are living and working in communities across the nation.
She went on to said: “The response to Beyond the Bubble campaign has been overwhelming. I have engaged with hundreds of people up and down the country, asking what matters to them and what they would like to see change. These grass-roots contributions will form the basis of a people’s manifesto, and it will be on this basis that I will seek formal support from my Assembly colleagues before the end of the summer.”
“I have been encouraged to stand as leader by many who have said that they would like to see a new, fresh and energised leadership in Wales heading into the next Assembly elections. I was extremely moved that many inspirational women who took part in the procession through the Cardiff streets yesterday expressed hope that I would stand. As this year marks a century since women won the right to vote, I feel that would be letting these women down if I did not put my name forward.”
Responding to the Wales Labour Party Executive’s proposal to undertake a review of the leadership voting system Ms Morgan said: “Whilst the form of the voting system must be a decision for the Labour Party in Wales, I feel that we need to move to a one member one vote system; although we must find a way of ensuring that the politically affiliated union voice is heard within that system.”
She added: “It would be a tragedy if the leadership election did not move beyond a debate of the mechanics of an internal voting system; Wales is confronting serious future challenges and we need to position ourselves to be a highly skilled and responsive economy with strong public services which takes account of the needs of the environment and future generations.”
News
Shakespeare’s Globe presents Othello on the Torch Theatre Screen
CELEBRATED by many, Othello has risen through the ranks of the Met police. But can his hard-won reputation, his marriage to his new wife Desdemona, and his own subconscious survive the toxic systems that surround him? Answers to these questions can be discovered at the Torch Theatre on Tuesday 12 November as the critically-acclaimed Shakespeare’s Globe production of Othello is brought to the Torch Theatre cinema screen.
Sixteenth-century Venice becomes modern-day London’s Docklands, as the Moorish general Othello grapples with many of the same issues that successful Black people have faced for centuries.
Experience Shakespeare’s confronting look at the destructive impact of institutional racism, toxicmasculinity, and a justice system locked in a vicious cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy, set within a hostile modern police force.
In her review in the Guardian, Arifa Akbar awards the drama four stars.
She noted: “There is great musicality too, with songs and a score that is jazzy at times, foreboding at others. Ultimately, the concepts lead to a surfeit of ideas, pushing against each other. At over three hours, the tension drops, although the play never loses its potency and offers a genuinely new, exciting experience.”
Director Ola Ince debuted in the intimate, candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse with this ‘inspired’ (The Guardian), and ‘profound’ (Evening Standard) and ‘masterfully redefined’ (West End Best Friend) take on Shakespeare’s blistering tragedy.
Cinema audiences will also be treated to bonus content with a behind-the-scenes interviews and a Globe Theatre tour (during intermission).
Othello will be screened at the Torch Theatre on Tuesday 12 November at 7pm. Ticket prices: Full: £15.00. Concessions: £13.00 and U26: £8.50.To book your tickets or for further information, contact the Box Office on01646 695267 or visit torchtheatre.co.uk.
News
Large fire at Bramble Hall Farm – Arson suspected
FIREFIGHTERS have brought a large blaze under control at Bramble Hall Farm in Pembroke Dock.
The fire broke out in a portacabin filled with tyres and scrap materials late on Tuesday night (Nov 5).
The alarm was raised at 11:34pm by the farm owner, who reported being woken by loud bangs.
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service crews from Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock Fire Stations were dispatched to the scene.
On arrival, firefighters found a shipping container with mixed scrap and around 100 tyres fully alight. The crews used four breathing apparatus sets, a ground monitor, a 45mm jet, two hose reel jets, and a water bowser to tackle the fire.
The blaze was fully extinguished by 5:07am on Wednesday morning (Nov 6), after crews worked through the night to contain the flames and dampen down remaining hotspots.
A local resident, Sean Burns, who was present at the scene, suspects the fire may have been started deliberately and has provided information to authorities, who are investigating the cause.
News
Fire strikes popular Pembrokeshire pub – no staff or customers hurt
A FIRE broke out at The Bristol Trader pub on Quay Street, Haverfordwest, today (Wednesday, Nov 6), impacting two floors and the roof space of the popular establishment.
Firefighters from Haverfordwest and Milford Haven stations responded to the scene at 11:38am, spending around two hours battling the blaze. Smoke was seen billowing from the building as Dyfed-Powys Police closed Quay Street, advising drivers to avoid the area and seek alternative routes.
A spokesperson for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “Crews responded to a commercial fire in a two-storey building, measuring approximately 50m by 30m. The fire began on the first floor, spread to the second floor and roof space. Crews utilised eight breathing apparatus sets, four hose reel jets, one 45mm main jet, small gear, and a turntable ladder.”
Fire crews departed the scene at 1:58pm, and the police reopened Quay Street at 2:15pm.
No injuries were reported, and in a Facebook post, The Bristol Trader reassured customers that all staff members were safe.
-
News3 days ago
Black cat ‘size of labrador’ spotted in Pembrokeshire village
-
News3 days ago
Photographer’s drift to Ireland: The full story behind Chris Ellery’s ordeal
-
News24 hours ago
Blaze at Bristol Trader: Emergency services close Quay Street
-
Charity5 days ago
Annual 80s themed charity 5km Night Run returns to Milford Waterfront in support of RNLI
-
News6 days ago
Massive search and rescue off Pembrokeshire coast for Chris Ellery
-
Crime2 days ago
Bin lorry driver banned after “squishing” man in road rage incident
-
Business2 days ago
Stena announces redundancy plan amid uncertainty for Pembrokeshire
-
News5 days ago
Missing photographer Chris Ellery safe in Ireland after two-day ordeal