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Badger goes green

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badger_2087377bThere has been a lot of fuss in the national media recently about ‘fracking’; the extraction of gas from shale deposits by forcing water into the rock bed like an underground enema.

A naturally solitary and subterranean type, Badger is not sure he approves of fracking. Badger sees that attempts to cash in on the purported bonanza in America and other European countries have not produced as expected, either in terms of private profit or public benefit.

Badger is certainly unconvinced by the special pleading that suggests trapped gas is a boundless supply of energy that might save us all from freezing in our setts.

If that was the case, County Hall would be festooned with drilling equipment and the excess produced would be enough to provide each Pembrokeshire home with its own Zeppelin.

The evening news is populated by pictures of colourfully be-jumpered people who have woven their copies of The Guardian into yurts. Those camped out on vigil seem determined to prevent preliminary drilling being carried out for fear it might lead environmental Armageddon to be visited upon this apparently very green, very pleasant and very, very prosperous corner of England.

Periodically the protestors stop weaving muesli or playing their guitars to try to prevent something which is not happening. When they do so, they run into the Police, who are – with varying degrees of force – seeking to prevent damage to private property or, as the Police put it, ‘maintain public order’.

When the fracking protestors attempt to enter private property to carry out ‘direct action’, they appear to suggest the law of the land should allow them free entry. When they are prevented from entering and potentially damaging private property by the Police, the protestors claim to be unlawfully restrained.

If the protestors’ actions are legal, then the Police have no business stopping them from carrying out their proposed ‘direct action’. If the protestors’ actions are illegal, they appear to be claiming the protection of a system of laws parts of which they feel able to ignore when they feel like it.

Badger is confused. He suspects he is not alone in his confusion.

The idea of populating tracts of open countryside with drilling equipment and industrial plant is widely regarded as outrageous. On the basis that keeping something beautiful, well, beautiful is a good, Badger agrees.

But what are the viable alternatives?

Attempts to harness the tidal power of the Severn seem doomed to founder on concerns about its effect on wildlife. Wind turbines are widely alleged to be inefficient subsidy magnets that disfigure the landscape. Solar energy’s ability to deliver meaningful amounts of energy to the UK’s population is unclear. Biofuel crop growth restricts food output in countries that can ill afford to have less land available for growing food crops.

Years ago, Badger remembers a scheme to burn orimulsion at the old Pembroke Power Station. The CEGB (remember them?) said they would close the plant as unviable if permission was not granted. Cllr Brian Hall led a stormy public meeting at the Pater Hall, Pembroke Dock, at which few, if any, voices against the proposed development were allowed to be heard.

There was a furious campaign against orimulsion – dubbed ‘the world’s filthiest fuel’ – led by Friends of the Earth Cymru. Part of that campaign suggested the CEGB was bluffing when it said it would close Pembroke Power Station.

The campaign against the CEGB scheme was aided by fears raised by the Sea Empress disaster in the Haven around the time of the application and controversy.

Sure enough, the plans were called in by the Welsh Office.

The CEGB immediately gave up the application and closed Pembroke Power Station causing significant loss to the local economy.

And shortly afterward it was reported that one of the leading campaigners against the development had objected to siting a wind turbine next to a field containing his cattle.

Whichever option is canvassed has its detractors and opponents and consensus seems unlikely. Sometimes you just have to settle for whichever is the least bad option.

It’s a pity hot air cannot be harnessed as a viable energy source. It seems to Badger that, in the environmental debate, there is plenty to spare on all sides.

367 Comments

367 Comments

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Entertainment

Gavin & Stacey stars reunite for Christmas advert

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Gavin & Stacey favourites Joanna Page and Mathew Horne have reunited on screen for a Christmas special – though not the one fans might have hoped for. Instead of returning to Barry or Billericay, the duo appear together in a new festive advert for Waitrose, sharing a turkey pie while responding to a fan’s heartfelt letter about expressing love through food.

The short film marks their appearance in How to Say It With Food, a six-part series in which Page and Horne tackle some of the nation’s most common Christmas food dilemmas. The clip opens with Page teasingly nodding to their iconic sitcom: “Oh, you didn’t think we’d let Christmas roll around without showing up again, did you?”

Horne quickly follows with his own playful line: “Us? Miss Christmas? Not a chance. But this time we’re here to help you say it with food.”

The pair are then handed an envelope “from Santa”, containing a letter from a viewer asking how he can show his “leading lady” he loves her through food. Mathew quips: “First time saying it, you want a statement. Sixteenth time, you want a statement that doesn’t involve socks.”

He then introduces Waitrose’s new Christmas advert starring Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson. The main campaign follows an unlikely festive romance sparked by Sussex Charmer cheese and culminating in Wilkinson presenting Knightley with a turkey pie decorated with the words “I love you”. Watching the moment unfold, Page smiles at Horne and mirrors another classic Gavin & Stacey reference: “Oh, that’s so romantic.”

The duo are soon given their own turkey pie to try. Horne eagerly tucks in before cutting Page a slice, prompting laughter from his co-star. The advert ends with the pair wishing viewers a Merry Christmas as Knightley and Wilkinson share a warm festive kiss on screen.

The reunion comes almost a year after audiences tuned in to the BBC sitcom’s much-anticipated finale, which drew an impressive 12.3 million viewers on Christmas Day. The episode wrapped up storylines including Gwen’s blossoming romance with Dave Coaches, Smithy’s near-wedding to Sonia, and the moment fans had long debated – Smithy and Nessa tying the knot.

Reflecting on the new project, Page said: “You thought you’d seen the last of us! Well, we’re back and what fun we had.” She added: “It was such a treat working with Mat… food is what brings people together over the festive season.”

Horne described the experience as “brilliant”, calling their on-screen reunion “a Christmas tradition”.

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Health

Government orders clinical review amid sharp rise in mental health diagnoses

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4.4 million working-age people now claiming sickness or incapacity benefit, up by 1.2 million since 2019, many because of a mental health condition

A CLINICAL review into how mental health conditions are diagnosed across the UK is expected to begin this week, following concerns within government over rapidly rising sickness-benefit claims linked to conditions such as autism, ADHD and anxiety.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has commissioned leading clinical experts to examine whether ordinary emotional distress is being “over-pathologised” and to assess why the number of people receiving sickness and incapacity benefits has grown to 4.4 million – an increase of 1.2 million since 2019.

According to reports in The Times, ministers are particularly alarmed by the surge in the number of 16- to 34-year-olds now out of work because of long-term mental health conditions.

Streeting said he recognised “from personal experience how devastating it can be for people who face poor mental health, have ADHD or autism and can’t get a diagnosis or the right support,” but added that he had also heard from clinicians who say diagnoses are “sharply rising”.

“We must look at this through a strictly clinical lens to get an evidence-based understanding of what we know, what we don’t know, and what these patterns tell us about our mental health system, autism and ADHD services,” he told the newspaper. “That’s the only way we can ensure everyone gets timely access to accurate diagnosis and effective support.”

The review is expected to be chaired by Prof Peter Fonagy, a clinical psychologist at University College London specialising in child mental health, with Sir Simon Wessely, former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, acting as vice-chair.

Prof Fonagy said the panel would “examine the evidence with care – from research, from people with lived experience and from clinicians working at the frontline of mental health, autism and ADHD services – to understand, in a grounded way, what is driving rising demand.”

The move comes as the UK Government faces mounting pressure over the rising welfare bill. Ministers earlier this year pulled back from proposed changes to disability benefits, including those affecting people with mental health conditions, after opposition from Labour backbenchers.

Speaking on Monday, the Prime Minister said a fresh round of welfare reform was needed.

Keir Starmer said: “We’ve got to transform it; we also have to confront the reality that our welfare state is trapping people, not just in poverty, but out of work.”

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Business

Welsh Govt shifts stance on business rates after pressure from S4C and Herald

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Ministers release unexpected statement 48 hours after widespread concern highlighted in Welsh media

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has announced a new package of tapered business rates relief for 2026-27, in a move that follows sustained pressure from Welsh media — including S4C Newyddion and The Pembrokeshire Herald — over the impact of revaluation on small businesses.

In Milford Haven, the hard-pressed pub sector is already feeling the impact: the annual bill for The Lord Kitchener is rising from £5,000 to £15,000, while rates at the Kimberley Public House have nearly doubled from £10,500 to £19,500. The Imperial Hall’s rates are increasing from £5,800 to £9,200, prompting director Lee Bridges to question why businesses “are being asked to pay more when we use less services”. In Haverfordwest, the annual rates bill for Eddie’s Nightclub is increasing from £57,000 to £61,500.

A written statement, issued suddenly on Wednesday afternoon, confirms that ministers will introduce a transitional “tapering mechanism” to soften steep increases for tourism, hospitality and small independent operators. Full details will be published with the draft Budget later this month.

The announcement comes less than two days after The Herald’s in-depth reporting brought forward direct concerns from Pembrokeshire business owners and councillors, highlighting the uncertainty facing one of Wales’ most important local industries.

Herald reporting credited by senior councillor

Cllr Huw Murphy

Pembrokeshire County Council Independent Group Leader Cllr Huw Carnhuan Murphy publicly thanked The Herald for pushing the issue into the spotlight.

In a statement shared on Wednesday, Cllr Murphy said: “Welcome news from Welsh Government. Thanks to Tom Sinclair for running this important item in the Herald in relation to the revaluation of businesses and the consequences it will have for many.

He added: “Newyddion S4C hefyd am redeg y stori pwysig yma ynghylch trethi busnes.,” which in English is “and thanks to S4C Newyddion as well for running this important story about business taxes.”

He added that the Independent Group “will always campaign to support our tourism and agriculture industry, on which so many residents rely within Pembrokeshire”.

Media spotlight increased pressure on Cardiff Bay

On Monday, ministers said business rates plans would be outlined “within the next two weeks”.
By Wednesday afternoon — following prominent coverage on S4C and continued pressure from The Herald — Welsh Government released an early written statement outlining new support.

Industry sources told The Herald they believed the level of public concern, amplified by the media, “forced the issue up the agenda much faster than expected”.

A cautious welcome for ‘better than nothing’

Cllr Murphy welcomed the partial support, though he stressed it fell short of what many businesses had hoped for.

“This isn’t the level of support many were hoping for,” he said, “but it is certainly much better than nothing.”

Draft Budget expected soon

The full tapered support scheme will be detailed in the Welsh Government draft Budget, expected within a fortnight.

Tourism and hospitality representatives have reserved final judgment until the figures are published, but many have expressed relief that some support will continue, following weeks of uncertainty.

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