News
Badger knows best: Badger goes beyond The Pale

PEMBROKESHIRE is a very pale county.
The fields are green. The beaches a sandy yellow. The sea is blue. The mountains are grey. The uplands bare and brown.
But Pembrokeshire’s people are pale.
Around 3% of the population belong to black and ethnic minority groups or are of mixed parentage. Out of a population of 125,000, that’s 3,750 individuals.
To put that in perspective, one-third of Pembrokeshire’s population wasn’t even born in Wales. That’s a pinch over 41,500 people.
Those figures might offer some explanation – but hardly an excuse – for some of the attitudes published on social media over the last few weeks about the Black Lives Matter campaign.
The people who have shouted the loudest and made the biggest arses of themselves online are those whose experience of other cultures and people of colour is received wisdom transmitted via right-wing tabloids. Either that, or their views are formed out of the outfall of filth spread online by neon-Nazi groups (for example, ‘Britain First’), racist thugs like ‘Tommy Robinson’, and propaganda and lies provided by sites and pages like ‘British Patriot News’.
How many people out there, how many of you – readers – have seen something online with a Union flag in the corner carrying a sentiment like ‘Our Troops are all Heroes’ carrying the message that ‘only my true friends will dare share this’. Most of those posts eventually link back to pages, groups or websites operated by the sort of vile racist scum who rampaged through London last weekend.
They are not run by patriots. Badger is pretty sure that most of the people running them are exactly the sort of arm-waving shits Badger’s granddad spent time shooting during the Second World War – or of a piece with those interned like Mosley or hanged like William Joyce.
The nature of experiencing racial politics at second or third hand, at least if you don’t live through the experience of sharing space with people of different ethnicities daily, is that it is impossible the casual racism of everyday language.
In Pembrokeshire, where 97% of people are white, the chances of getting exposure to other cultures are minuscule.
It is not that long ago that a noisy minority of those in Pembrokeshire who voted to leave the European Union did so to stop mosques being built in places like Hakin.
It’s not that long before that you couldn’t go into a pub without hearing abusive racial epithets flung around like confetti.
It follows, in Badger’s view, any surprise that more than a handful of people in Pembrokeshire cling to familiarity and fear difference and express that through repeating racist language and ideas – either knowingly or unknowingly – is just a pile of horse apples.
People – most of them – are not stupid. They are not thick, uneducated yokels.
SOME of the people repeating offensive racist and bigoted language are racist bigots who happen to be stupid. They are the sort of people who use Alf Garnett as a poster boy for their views without realising Alf Garnett satirised views like theirs.
SOME people are racists because they honestly and sincerely believe that they are members to a superior race or have a chip on their shoulder about the fact they’re not.
MOST of the remainder simply don’t see the issue.
That’s because the experience of living in Pale Pembrokeshire insulates them from the daily reality of living in a diverse society.
Many, in all of the groups identified above, are reasonable, intelligent human beings. Many of them are genuinely baffled about why their language offends.
It is the minority which pisses in the pool of public discussion and mean to pollute it.
Badger has phrased all of the above very carefully. He has studiously avoided tarring everyone out there with one brush. But there is not a grey area here.
It’s not a difference between black and white. It’s the difference between right and wrong.
Bigotry in any form makes Badger angry. He has sat and listened for too long to far too many people spout too much racist and bigoted bollocks not to express his view.
He will do so in his usual roundabout way.
On the eve of the NHS’ creation, battered and bruised by Conservative carping at the jewel in Labour’s legislative crown and attempts to derail it, Aneurin Bevan used the following words to describe his experience and the experience of millions under Conservative rule.
‘No amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party that inflicted those bitter experiences on me. So, as far as I am concerned, they are lower than vermin’.
Badger knows plenty of Conservatives, both shy and vocal. They’re not lower than vermin. Badger may not agree with them on politics, but Badger doesn’t agree with other parties’ policies, too. Most politicians – at every level – are decent people trying their best to deliver the impossible to voters who are in a more or less continuous state of outrage about something.
However, those racists and bigots who know they’re racists and bigots, who wrap themselves in the flag to hide who they are, who despise democracy and the rule of law, who espouse racism and bigotry, and who encourage others to do the same… they aspire to be ‘lower than vermin’, readers. They have a long way to crawl out of their sewers to get to vermin’s underbelly.
Badger has looked at some of the comments on The Herald’s Facebook page on stories about the comments made by Cllr Paul Dowson. He has stared with horror and at some of the exchanges on social media about the row over other councillors’ conduct and at the responses those posts have attracted.
Reading those comments and some councillors’ social media has left Badger with this thought: it is better to be thought a fool and remain silent than to speak and dispel any doubt.
Business
Beggars Reach Hotel sold to local business family for £950,000

A WELL KNOWN countryside hotel and event venue has been sold to local operators in a deal brokered by specialist business property adviser Christie & Co.
Beggars Reach Hotel, located in the village of Burton and set within seven acres of landscaped gardens, has been acquired by a local business family with a strong track record in hospitality and retail. The family also owns an established fish and chip restaurant in the seaside town of Tenby, as well as other commercial property interests in the region.
The popular hotel features 30 en-suite bedrooms, a restaurant, bistro-style breakfast room, and several function and event spaces – including a light-filled Orangery. With its sweeping views of the surrounding South West Wales countryside, Beggars Reach has become a sought-after venue for weddings, leisure breaks, and corporate events.
The property also holds planning permission for twenty additional guest rooms and a spa facility, offering the new owners scope for further development.
The transaction was supported by Christie Finance, who secured funding for the buyers within weeks of the sale being agreed.
Sam Roberts, Senior Broker at Christie & Co, said: “After the previous owner acquired the business through us early last year, unforeseen personal circumstances led to the need for a resale. We launched a full marketing campaign, which attracted strong interest, and we were able to secure a suitable buyer quickly. It has been a pleasure to assist with the sale of Beggars Reach for a second time, and we wish the new owners every success in taking the hotel forward.”
Tamara Ryan, Finance Consultant at Christie Finance, added: “It was an absolute pleasure to support our client with this acquisition. As an experienced and ambitious local business partnership, they have exciting plans for the hotel. We secured highly competitive funding within a few weeks of the offer being accepted, reflecting the strong appetite in the market for hotel investment.”
The hotel was sold off an asking price of £950,000.
Crime
Man avoids jail despite possessing child abuse images

A PEMBROKE DOCK man has been spared immediate custody after police found almost 70 indecent images of children on his mobile phone — including one image of a child aged around three whose hands and ankles were bound.
Andrew Davies, aged 36, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday (Apr 1), having earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent photographs of children.
The court heard that officers from Dyfed-Powys Police executed a search warrant at Davies’ home on Brewery Street in November 2022. Davies was present at the property and handed over a mobile phone along with the PIN code to unlock it.
Upon examination of the device, officers discovered 67 illegal images. These included nine category A images — the most serious classification — 14 category B images, and 44 category C images. The images had been downloaded and stored in a password-protected application.
Prosecuting, Sian Cutter said one of the images showed a child estimated to be three years old with their limbs restrained. She told the court that all of the material was accessible on the device and had been intentionally downloaded.
In mitigation, defence barrister Ryan Bowen said Davies was “under no illusion as to the seriousness of his offending”. He said the offences dated back to 2019, and that the matter had been hanging over Davies for several years.
Mr Bowen added: “He has no previous convictions and is of otherwise good character. He accepts responsibility for his actions and has shown insight and a willingness to address his behaviour. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”
Sentencing, Her Honour Judge Catherine Richards told Davies: “The possession and viewing of child sexual abuse images causes direct harm to real children. It is a very serious aggravating factor that some of the images involve children as young as three.”
Davies was handed three prison terms of eight, four and two months, to run concurrently, making a total of eight months. The sentence was suspended for two years.
He must complete 200 hours of unpaid work and attend 25 rehabilitation activity days. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.
Business
Valero refinery escapes Trump’s new tariffs

Fuel imports spared as US tries to avoid price hikes
THE VALERO oil refinery in Pembroke has escaped the impact of Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs on UK and EU goods, following confirmation from the White House that all oil, gas and refined fuel imports will be exempt from the new trade restrictions.

On Wednesday (Apr 2), Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports into the United States, with higher duties targeting key trading partners including Britain and the European Union. The move has sparked fears of a deepening global trade war, with UK manufacturers, farmers, and exporters among those facing fresh barriers to the American market.
However, a White House official told Reuters that energy imports would be excluded entirely from the tariff measures. The exemption, which applies to crude oil, natural gas, petrol, diesel and jet fuel, is designed to prevent supply disruptions and price spikes in the United States, particularly on the East Coast, where fuel imports from Europe play a vital role.
Relief for Pembrokeshire
The announcement is a major relief for Pembrokeshire, where the Valero refinery at Rhoscrowther remains one of the area’s largest employers. Hundreds of local jobs depend directly on the refinery, with many more supported through contractors, hauliers, suppliers and businesses tied to the energy sector.
A local business owner in Pembroke Dock said: “This is brilliant news for the area. Valero keeps a lot of people in work around here, and the last thing we needed was more uncertainty from across the Atlantic.”
While other Welsh exports—including lamb, steel and whisky—face an uphill battle under the new tariffs, Pembroke’s key fuel production facility has been spared thanks to a combination of its strategic importance and ownership.
American-owned, Atlantic-focused
Valero Energy Corporation, which owns the Pembroke site, is a US-based multinational headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The company is one of the largest independent refiners in the world, and acquired the Pembroke refinery in 2011 from Chevron for $730 million.
The deal also included a vast logistics and retail network across the UK and Ireland, including four product pipelines, 11 fuel terminals, a 14,000-barrel-per-day aviation fuels business, and more than 1,000 Texaco-branded forecourts—making it the largest branded dealer network in the UK.
At the time of the acquisition, Valero’s Chairman and CEO Bill Klesse said the move would allow the company to supply the US East Coast market more competitively, particularly after exiting US East Coast refining operations in 2010. “The Pembroke refinery remained profitable even during the depths of the economic downturn,” Klesse said. “We expect that it will be immediately accretive to earnings per share.”
Fuel to flow when economics align
The Pembroke refinery has a processing capacity of 270,000 barrels per day, making it one of the most complex and flexible in Europe. It produces around 3.6 million gallons of petrol and 2.2 million gallons of diesel daily and can process more than 60 different types of crude oil.
While exact export volumes to the United States are not publicly disclosed, the site is considered a key part of Valero’s Atlantic Basin margin optimisation strategy—designed to move fuel between Europe and the US when market conditions are favourable. Europe remains a major supplier of refined fuel to the US East Coast, where refining capacity has declined.
An energy analyst told The Herald: “Even if Pembroke isn’t exporting to the US every day, it’s a crucial part of Valero’s strategy. When the economics make sense, diesel or jet fuel from Wales can and does flow to the US. That’s why the White House exemption matters—it keeps those channels open.”
Wider Welsh economy still exposed
While Valero and the Pembroke refinery are protected under the exemption, other Welsh sectors are now facing harsh realities. Exports such as Welsh lamb, whisky, steel and car components are now subject to tariffs that could reduce competitiveness in one of Wales’ most important markets.
Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick said: “Donald Trump has launched a destructive trade war that threatens the jobs and living standards of people right across Wales. This needs to be brought to an end quickly, and the Prime Minister should be forming a coalition of allies—Canada, Australia, the EU—to stand against this. If the Government gives in to Trump’s threats, it will only encourage more bullying tactics in future.”
Looking ahead: volatile politics, stable demand
Although energy has been exempted for now, industry insiders warn that volatility remains high.
“The US exemption is about fuel supply and domestic prices,” the analyst added. “If demand or political calculations shift, exemptions could change too. Wales can’t afford to be complacent.”
One refinery worker put it more bluntly: “We’ve dodged this bullet, but with Trump, the safety’s always off.”

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