tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864445726994792342024-03-13T20:25:50.898+00:00People FirstWeb site of People First WalesPeople Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-525954736988561632021-10-10T14:32:00.000+01:002021-10-10T14:32:32.010+01:00Carmarthenhire Council ingnores Loughor Estuary environmental risk, building homes in harm's way - a guest post from Robin Burn "A coastal vulnerability and environmental risk assessment of Loughor Estuary, South wales"
Robin Burn reviews an article published in 2015 by the University of Wales, Trinity St, Davids,Swansea warning of the reckless development of areas under risk of present and future flooding. I doubt Carmarthenshhire County Council Planners, both officers and councillors, keep up to date with accademiic studies.
Ocean & Coastal Management 116 (2015) 478-490
K.Denner et al ; Coastal & Marine Research Group, University of Wales Trinity Saint David (Swansea),Swansea,Wales,SA1 6ED ; 15th September 2015.
Article Review
Comment from Abstract
An environmental risk assessment of the Loughor Estuary northern shoreline-South Wales, was carried out by adapting a previously developed Coastal Vulnerability Index.
"Assessments identified that the most critical parameters affecting vulnerability along this shoreline, were coastal slope and beach width.
Results highlighted that this shoreline was vulnerable and that a significant percentage of residential housing, transport and energy supply infrastructure, are located in highly vulnerable locations". It was also noted that there is a concentration of future re-development in similarly vulnerable locations
In Introduction the report acknowledges that esturine environments are low-lying fragile coastal ecosystems sensitive by nature to climatic variations. Low -lying coastal areas more vulnerable to climatic impacts and as a result are at a greater risk of flooding and coastal erosion.
Easterly drift of sediment and fine sand is accreting the estuary, requiring regular harbour dredging.
In the Discussion section of the paper, the authors assess the crux of the investigations acknowledging that" Identification of socio-economic and ecological features wholly or partially occuring in areas of high vulnerability showed that a high percentage of infrastructure related to transport and access and energy supply are located in high vulnerability areas.
The majority of residential housing within 500meters of Median Water Height, the area most likely to flood, occurs in very vulnerable areas with little protection.
Flooding is already the major issue impacting the study area with Llanelli recording the highest risk of present and future flooding.
The addition of new development upon previously developed sites in areas of high vulnerability will increase pressure upon drainage and sewage systems leading to an even greater risk of flooding in the estuary.
Almost 80% of coastal land designated for future development occured in areas of high vulnerability. Of the coastal defence structures located in the study area to protect current assets and infrastructure,35% have less than a 20 year lifespan remaining, all of the structures have less than 50 years of longevity left
The only available report detailing costs of maintaining defensive structures at the two locations with the highest vulnerability was produced in 2004 and they were estimated to exceed the entire regional coastal defence budget by a factor of 10. The ability of the local authority to defend these structures has been questioned.
The lack of knowledge of coastal processes when planning as part of the Regeneration strategy for the study area, has previously led to erosion and flooding potential to new developments.
It can be reasoned that the LA's locating of of future infrastructure and development in coastal areas, despite recognisable vulnerability to flooding and coastal erosion, in the face of climate change, reveals a propensity to favour short term economic gain from coastal real estate and investment opportunities
Robin Burn I Eng FIMMM
22nd August 2021
picture: asbestos sheeting exposed by the erosion October 7th
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Update: High Tides on October 7th caused considerable coastal erosion near Burry Port at the site of the demolished Carmarthen Bay Power Station. What has been exposed is large amounts buried asbestos containing roofing sheets. Other debris may also be toxic, inclding some bright green blocks of material I have not seen before. When I accidently touched one of these it did irritate my skin quite quickly and I had to wash my hand promptly to stop the "burnng" senstion. There is a photograph here showing one of the green blocks, Does anyone know what they are? Copper Arsenite has been suggested to me but I'm no expert.
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Sian Caiach
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-38301153385828889712021-08-16T23:39:00.003+01:002021-08-28T23:18:09.727+01:00 Homes , businesses and leisure in the Llanelli Area now threatened after new estimates of future Sea Rise.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxQVj9RLk2BU2yKivHKfXbitAYHfhIRJlbUgADi9tHP4NWazF5_lSICbTN83g02mm0TqfLRhKGrPHAn43CEN0Cs9D5T8XjuoxdBAy0oZtLd7wf-hyAR_eHoIQNBV5xDbYh2fG5wAAq6mU/s2048/DSCN0243.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxQVj9RLk2BU2yKivHKfXbitAYHfhIRJlbUgADi9tHP4NWazF5_lSICbTN83g02mm0TqfLRhKGrPHAn43CEN0Cs9D5T8XjuoxdBAy0oZtLd7wf-hyAR_eHoIQNBV5xDbYh2fG5wAAq6mU/s320/DSCN0243.JPG"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgODA7OFlyKe23tpnb_5KKxWleCkp2rarRsyiSOxWv6LSDbIh-UOBAY7tkt8bAslX3a-1Y2bPnPnfvjyNvFoVJWM9y95DvcCQcRm4yWuu42Zhb_cHzy4KRGQD_XrCqkTL_44inPQEmAld/s2048/DSCN0260.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgODA7OFlyKe23tpnb_5KKxWleCkp2rarRsyiSOxWv6LSDbIh-UOBAY7tkt8bAslX3a-1Y2bPnPnfvjyNvFoVJWM9y95DvcCQcRm4yWuu42Zhb_cHzy4KRGQD_XrCqkTL_44inPQEmAld/s320/DSCN0260.JPG"/></a></div>
Llanelli stands on the north shore of the Loughor Estuary.Much of the low lying part of the town stands on reclaimed land and this area was orinigally full of docks and industrial buildings as well as the terraced houses for workers. The last massive flood suffereed by the town was in 1896 when a huge tidal flood, aided by the tail of an Atlantic Hurricane, submerged all of the lower areas of the town and also cut off the nearby town of Burry Port as both road and rail links there were washed away
With global warming and increasing sea level rise, unlikely to be reversed anytime soon, Carmarthenshire County Council planners have reacted by approving or encouraging several significant housing and other developments close to the sea shore. In the case of housing developments they have claimmed that raising the land beneath the new homes and gardens is enough to protect them. Unfortunately they have decided not to raise the road access so these estates could become islands when the floods do come.
The project for a large "Health and Wellness" centre at the tidal Delta Lakes site close to the Llanelli shore was rather questionable from the start. Had it gone ahead (it was exposed as a rather fraudulent project and rejected for City Deal Funding) future flooding could have endangered not only the elderly in its care home environments, but also the residents of any housing built there and the workers in the pharmaceutical themed industrial park.
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When I moved to Llanelli 26 years ago the risk of massive flooding from the estuary was quoted as a one in 1000 year event. Its now a probability of one in 100 years and National Resources Wales has advised that "one in a hundred" events well may eventually become annual events unless the warming can be reversed. The true situation seems to be that even with our "best efforts" at present we will be lucky to slow the temperature rises and there is very little chance of keeping the sea level at bay, howver high the piles of earth on which the new homes are planned by Carmarthenshire County Council are to be built.
The County Council Planners seemed initially to ignore the dangers of Climate Change. There were supposedly plans for the heavy metal contaminted old Grillo Chemical Factory site on the sea front and new housing for areas around Burry Port Harbour. Currently the coastal erosion of an area near Burry Port has exposed the asbestos burried there after the Carmarthen Bay Power station was demolished in the 1990s and much of the asbestos was simply covered with soil by the bulldozers. This contaminated beach is part of the millenium coastal park, currently cordoned off while the visible asbestos is collected from the beach.
The rising sea level is surely likely to erode more of the hidden asbestos in future and the authorities are, I understand, cosidering employing a speicalist removal Firm to advise. Asbestos from the old power station is no stranger to the Royal MiLLenium Coastal Park and in dry periods can be seen on the banks and bottoms of the park's ponds near the old industrial site. The increasing coastal erosion may simply release more of it. At a time when more tourists are coming to appreciate the beauty of the coastline, beach barriers and warnings are a blow to our local tourism industry. Perhaps a more mediteranian climate, hotels and swimming pools may be the future of tourism - or perhaps not if the weather is not only hot but violent?
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In the last 2 decades Carmarthenhsire county Council has put house building before the environment, even though it has been aware that significant amounts of our sewage has not been treated and although the situation of sewage spills has improved, Welsh Water Dwr Cymru has still not been able to treat all local domestic sewage, even today. Now it is the rising sea which is the big threat. Much of the town is at risk and already many rivers and streams are tide locked - huge valves in place to shut out the sea at high tide where the watercourses meet the sea. As the sea level rises, the rivers run more and more risk of back flow flooding into the town against these valvesif sea level rises.The changing weather patterns of more intense rainfall and more violent storms are likely to worsen the situation.
The latest reports on the likely sea level rise now suggest that we need to take the situation more seriously or face the catastrophy of severe weather , storms and flooding with no prior planning . The report by Climate Central is surely a big "wake Up" call.
https://nation.cymru/news/updated-climate-change-sea-level-risk-map-shows-large-parts-of-wales-flooded-by-2050
I would hope the Senedd are up to speed with all this and can give all of us under threat good advice and strong protection for the coming years. Those whose homes, jobs and communities are on the front line need urgent guidance.
Update:28/08/2021
TIME FOR HONESTY AND LEADERSHIP
I am informed today by a well qualified local engineer that in the current climate emergency, the only effective flood protection solution for the threatened parts of Llanelli would be a damn or barrage across the mouth of the Loughor estuary which could both protect the low lying areas of the town from the sea and aiso allow the rivers and streams to flow outwards rather than backflow against the tide locks, otherwise the rivers would be blocked, producing freshwater flooding inland.
A decision has to be made soon, construction is likely to be expensive and take several years. Otherwise we have to know the alternative if saving the land and homes is not possible. Sennedd members,National and local civil servants and local County Councillors have known about the threat for some time. They have been warned of the likely flooding by National Resources Wales and other sources such as the recent Climate Central figures, which show the 2050 sea level rise as one which may well drown all of Machynys and much of the other land in Llanelli reclaimed from the sea during and since the Industrial Revolution.
Climate change with its likely severe weather, storms and flooding should surely be the most important issue in Llanelli today but our local and National Politicians are largely silent on the topic. If we are told that a crisis is coming we should preapre for it. If there is no money and no time to proetct those under threat , it is surely a time for some painful honesty and arrangements to permanently move those at risk out of harm's way and to places they can live in safety.
Sian CaiachPeople Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-52259568256140806072020-12-22T22:09:00.000+00:002020-12-30T11:14:51.504+00:00WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET PUBLIC BODIES TO REVEAL INCONVENIENT TRUTHS? AFTER LIVING 26 YEARS IN CARMARTHENSHIRE I STILL DON'T KNOW THE TRICKAquifers are underground layers of permeable rock, sand, sediments or soil which collect and hold water. They are the usual source of springs and wells and can create underground reservoirs. In our town, Llanelli, they are common and the unseen collections of water below the ground are both a marvel and sometimes a problem and even a danger.Here warnings in small letters about the likely sewage pollution of a council owned beach.Carmrthenshire has dealt with this problem by stopping testing the beach after tests in 2009 showed massive bacterial levels, and asking visitors to wash their hands.
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AQUIFERS FOR FIGHTING FIRES
Llanelli has quite a number of areas where Aquifers are recorded. All along the coastal margin there are several large aquifers. They were mapped by the fire service during the second world war to be tapped if needed if Llanelli was bombed. Also 2 large artesian underground reservoirs were earmarked for use in emergency firefighting, which are beneath Furnace. Village and School.
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YSGOL GYMRAEG Y FFWRNES
Sometimes these aquifers do get in the way. The new Ffwrnes School had to be built, for some reason, on the artesian Stradey Fault, causing some delay, as standard foundations failed and the school needed to be built on floating foundations. The environmental assessment at the planning stage advised that the pressure beneath the foundations should be monitored and a system put in to vent water . It was planned instead to install attenuation ponds and underground water storage to try to control the waters beneath the school. Whether this has worked or not I don't know. I'm currently a governor there so I am very happy to meet via teams, not only for Covid reasons, but also just in case no one is monitoring the foundations, which would not suprise me.
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FFYNON ELLI
I believe that a mineral water produced from, Ffynon Elli, was once sold as bottled water from the aquifers beneath Furnace . This was one of the 7 wells and springs from which Llanelli obtained drinking water prior to the building of the Trebeddrod Reservoir in 1854 which then became the main source of drinking water. In this case the Aquifer were clearly of some use and may be again.
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A HOLY WELL?
Ffynon Elli was thought to be a holy well, the water said to have health giving properties, Its exact site is unknown now, but there were at least 2 wells in the area, one said to be on Cille land and one somewhere between Old road and New Road. Perhaps we could encourage tourism?
Llanelli is ideal for extracting water, not only has the town got a large amount of water underneath it, but also multiple artesian springs in the higher land behind the town. As the rainfall is increasing due to climate change , some of these are now more active. Perhaps a local entrepreneur will one day consider reviving some of our wells and springs commercially?
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RAINSCAPE – HAS THE STATION AQUIFER SLOWED THE SCHEME?
Another area where the aquifers have caused problems is where they block developments, most recently related to Rainscape. This project was designed to stop the large numbers of sewage spills currently still being made into the Loughor Estuary This is a protected NATURA area, but as the local sewage treatment plant could not cope with the volumes, the sewage has to be vented into the Estuary to stop backflow flooding of raw sewage into residential parts of the town.
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LIES AND DECEPTION – LETS PRETEND NOTHING HAS HAPPENED.
Unfortunately the constant sewage spills have destroyed some of the rare wildlife in the Estuary and in 2005 a major sewage spill caused a mass death event which wrecked the shellfish industry. The local Cockle Hand Gatherers led by Robert Griffiths and the Stradey Residents Association, led by their chair, David Rees, took a case against the UK Government in the European Court which proved, in 2016, that Welsh Water, with the collusion of Carmarthenshire County Council and the Environment Agency (now NRW),were allowing unlawful Sewage spills. In order to satisfy the court judgement in 2016 the UK promised to address the infringement. I have heard that some in Natural Resources Wales now claim that as we have left the EU there is no need to follow their environmental laws. This is completely untrue.
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BE CAREFUL WHO YOU VOTE FOR – IF YOU WANT TO PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT
Our local environment has been injured by sewage spills and they are still happening under the watch of our Senedd, Natural Resources Wales which should protect our environment but does not in this case, and Carmarthenshire County Council, whose excessive housebuilding in the clear knowledge that there is insufficient sewage capacity to treat the human waste products , is yet another disgrace our elected representatives have foisted on us. With so much empty talk about saving the planet its good to see our Labour Senedd Member and our Plaid Cymru County Council all turning a blind eye to the destruction of a major fishery and important European wildlife conervation area. Just not important enough fpr them to care about.
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EXACTLY WHEN WILL THE SEWAGE POLLUTION STOP?
The Rainscape project is running late after hitting a large aquifer underneath the station. I have been told that the large drain along Station road has been dug through the aquifer but that there are still problems with back flows of water into the town, and also possibly problems with pumping the excesses out to sea. Pentre Awel, the Breezy village planned to replace the Wellness Science Park and Kuwaiti Medical school in the firmament of Carmerthenshire county Council's dreams of future economic development, seems to be just the old plans for a liesure centre and old people's home already funded to replace the old leisure centre and St Paul's care home. No sign of the massive City Deal cash once hoped to fund the grand plans. Private investment will fund the rest, apparently, hopefully when WWDC works our how to sort out the sewers of Llanelli and clean up the bays.
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The major goal of Rainscape was a plan to remove surface water, which used to run into the sewers, and pump it via Delta Lakes and out into the sea This was planned to allow the volume of the sewage to be reduced by concentrating it so that the sewage spills could stop. Welsh Water’s own figures show that the sewage spills still continue frequently. The cockles have returned, but are in reduced numbers, slow growing and stunted, smaller than they used to be. A recent train derailment has also polluted the estuary and it is not yet clear how much more damage has been done to the fishery..
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SURELY IT IS TIME TO CLEAN UP THE BURY INLET AND STOP THE SEWAGE POLLUTION?
Its a shame that a town with so much water can’t keep its shore clean of sewage, and even more of a shame that it is elected politicians, council officials and government bodies who should have cleaned up the mess caused by the town’s sewage pollution, seem, in many cases, not to bother! Even when the European court found that Llanelli was polluting its own estuary against the EU and UK environmental laws , what has happened? As far as I can see, very little. Rainscape was probably selected as the cheapest option . Why then was the aquifer missed on the geological survey ? In a town noted for its aquifers, why not check where they are, before spending millions?
Members of the Llanelli Flood Forum have recently submitted written and detailed questions to Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru on the subject of why the major component of Rainscape is yet to be completed? WWDC have replied saying that rather than reply in writing, they would like to show us a presentation some time in the future. I really would like detailed answers and I'm sure Welsh Water have someone who can write?
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If Rainscape had worked and the water was getting cleaner, we would know about it. It would be a triumph for Welsh Water, it would be on the news. Silence from public bodies usually means that they don't want to talk about that topic, and the main reason we don't hear about these matters is that something has gone wrong. Like the UK Government finding out that the £200 million private matched funding for the Wellness Centre maybe didn't really exist, for instance.
The Truth would be nice.
Cllr Sian Caiach
Llanelli Rural Councillor for Hengoed Ward
01554 785046
sian.caiach@gmail.comPeople Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-49339312308623366102020-11-29T11:47:00.000+00:002020-11-29T11:47:50.445+00:00To Save the NHS from collapse we have trashed our economy, Why?So overwhelming has the covid 19 pandemic been that Health Services have not been able to cope. It is too late to wind back the clock. In a future pandemic hopefully the UK will close its borders more quickly, and not allow foreign holidays to re-infect the country. We also need to make investments to stop infectious diseases destrying our livelihoods. This is unlikely to be a "one time" crisis.
Llanelli, my local town, has less footfall and more beggars, hard times for many. The banking district of Frankfurt is a long way from Llanelli but both face a real economic threat from this crisis, and even Frankfurt has beggars on the street. This crisis is definately worse in the UK because of mismanagement of our NHS. Staffed by heroes and led by the blind.
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To "save the NHS" we are enduring lock downs and serious economic damage where we can least afford it. The income of the people must suffer, the economy must take a big hit or the NHS will be “overrun” by sick people infected by Covid 19, and none of us will get decent healthcare.Many of us are already not getting good healthcare, suffering on waiting lists, unable to see clinicians and having problems with access to prescriptions and other basic services.
<b>Why can’t the NHS cope? </b>
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The Truth is that the NHS is no longer a “health service” in the round, Constant cuts by governments, both red and blue in the last decades,“reorganisations “, supposedly to” increase efficiency “have stripped services. New management structures with the emphasis on economy and the removal of most doctors and nurses from representation on the executive boards has led to a service which far from promoting health throughout our communities, simply “deals” with the sick guided more by fiscal goals than the true welfare of the population. Much of the NHS estate has been sold off for development and there has been no real planning for massive health emergencies other than a possible influenza epidemic.
Now, to disguise the fact that the hospitals and GP s can’t cope, we have to prevent community viral disease by personal isolation, social distancing and reducing human to human contact. A virus parasite needs a host to live in, multiply and ideally have a chance to release the new generation before the host’s immune system wipes them out. We are reduced to similar methods as those used to control the Black Death.
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The economic consequences of lock down are grave, especially in areas of Wales where hospitality and tourism are big employers. Citizens unlucky enough to develop common serious diseases now, such as cancer and heart ailments may suffer delayed diagnosis and treatment, and add to the mortality and morbidity and distress , simply because the NHS cannot give them decent and timely treatment, as covid swamps all.
After the first days of Covid 19, when huge efforts were made in Wales to construct field hospitals for which there did not seem to be either staff or patients, there is no clear health policy except “keep away from other humans” until the vaccines come.
WE MUST CHANGE THE NHS SO THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN
Where are the plans to rebuild general capacity and infectious disease units within the NHS? This would help to stop new diseases spreading in the future, protect staff from infection, and allow control of future outbreaks without stopping treatment for all the other illnesses and injuries.Years of asset stripping have oriduced a system which cannot cope.
A vaccine may help but it is not here yet. The virus may become endemic, may mutate and be a player in many winters to come. We cannot and must not repeat the “shut everything down” when any new infection arrives. Management discarded the old isolation hospitals, closed the convalescent wards and sold off everything else we could have used for extra capacity. We have no replacement state of the art infectious diseases units. Instead we have had multiple outbreaks of Covid 19 in our own hospitals, which were never built to prevent the spread of novel airborne infections like Covid.
William Beverage and Aneirin Bevan planned and set up a welfare state in the 1940’s said to be available “From the Cradle to the Grave”. It has been recently been found seriously wanting. The grand ambitions have run aground not only because of a new virus, but also because the NHS has been failed both by our own Government in Wales and across the other UK nations. It has been whittled down to the cheapest options using the least inpatient treatment.
Care in the community, works well for many chronic diseases. It certainly does not work for virulent infectious diseases, in fact it can spread them efficiently to the most vulnerable .
The Welsh NHS has been emasculated, whittled to the bone, and was unprepared when a pandemic struck. If you keep cutting any service , the point comes when it can’t cope. Stressed, it is no longer fit for purpose. In fact some of the health management actions in this epidemic made things much worse, decimating care homes by sending them infected cases and even in hospitals professional staff were often infected by their own colleagues and their patients, in wards never designed to house serious infectious cases.
The Welsh NHS needs a change of direction and cries out for leadership. (these are trainee doctors in Iceland where they do try to train enough doctors from their own country )
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We are living in a nightmare caused by those who apparently had little interest in maintaining our NHS , our first line protection from disease and infection, paid for by our taxes. Where was the oversight, who was watching out for us? Can we even trust our Welsh Government to make good the mistakes and lack of resources that brought us here?
The sticking plasters are being applied, but without major changes in the NHS, and planning properly for the future, we may repeat the nightmare all over again. Air travel will one day re-start, the economy will take the hit and recover, but the threat of another similar infection will still be there. We need to learn the lessons from this.
Vaccines, drugs and the new treatment paths will probably help control Covid 19. But without an NHS infrastructure to isolate and treat new diseases, or resurgent old ones, we can easily find ourselves in the same nightmare by still running an NHS system with only “Just enough” to provide the minimum standard care, with no slack at all.
We need a few empty emergency wards, some extra convalescent wards, all of which which could be used routinely for other uses but re-utilised quickly at short notice. How about a Welsh infectious disease centre with the proper staff compliment, and every hospital having some isolation cubicles where patients can safely be treated but disease cannot leak out to infect other patients and staff. When we don’t have an outbreak these specialist staff could tour the country,’giving lectures, training and checking readiness. This would probably cost less than the many field hospitals and emergency morgues built in haste and never used.
Managers hate empty buildings and underutilized areas , but the nature of healthcare is that the needs are always changing, and disasters happen.. Keeping a few isolated empty wards, training a couple more infectious disease specialists won’t break the bank, but may save the economy in future.
Many people have died with Covid. Many others have died or are expected to die because they could not access timely medical treatment for many other diseases such as cancer. Others have suffered severe mental stress and utter despair due to the social and economic wounds of the outbreak.
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<b>Could Wales cope in the future?</b>
The lack of NHS capacity and proper planning for pandemic emergencies has made a bad situation a lot worse . As a small country we could probably have done a lot better , and hopefully in the future we will. A manageable population of around 3 million and a country which can easily share knowledge and resources and in emergencies transport and share staff and kit around.Wales has decided not to train sufficient docotrs and nurses for reasons that are officially unknown.I suspect it simply is to save money- Why train our own doctors and nurses when we cam attract health workers from other counrtries by our high salaries?The UK has the best paid doctors outside of the USA. Why bother to trin our own when other countries do it for us?
We have built a Welsh Health service with artificial boundaries and barriers to sharing and co-operation , unnecessary duplication of scarce resources in some cases ,We certainly have been selling off the family silver for a pittance in a vain attempt to balance the books of individual Health Boards with little consideration of the Health of the Nation as a whole.
A vaccination program will be rolled out, the virus may well be checked and case numbers drop. Victory will be announced and the problem temporarily reduced, and even perhaps a new bank holiday to celebrate, "Covid day", But the NHS itself is sick in many ways and we need to mend it before then next new infectious disease arrives.
<b> But if the lack of capacity in the Welsh NHS itself is not addressed , if our scarce resources are not husbanded , and short term financial savings allowed to trump future quality improvements, the armistice will be only temporary. Another enemy may yet appear in similar guise and once more expose the poverty of our ambitions to keep our people safe for the long term.
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Dr Sian Caiach People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-49782490659788204752020-11-08T01:27:00.001+00:002020-11-08T01:30:23.776+00:00The Wellness Project becomes the Breezy Village but new flood warnings may drown developmentThe Llanelli "Wellness Project" was a scheme to build housing for the elderly, a leisure centre, and a Health Sciences based business park.It was part of a well funded City Deal sponsored by UK Goverment and led by Carmarthenshire County Council and their Council's Chief Executive Mark James. There were said to be links with Swansea University, various drug companies, and a Kuwaiti Private Hospital and Medical School. The project needed £200 million pounds of private matched funding. Mysteriously the firm allegedly chosen to front up this money, Sterling Health, appeared to be a registered Company with no large assets and considerable debt. The planning application was delayed by NRW as the site of the development, a former dock area used as a refuse dump yeaars before, had not been properly asseessed and tested for contamination. The UK Goverment seems to have noticed the lack of the £200 milllion matched funding required for the grant aid to go ahead. The project was shelved. Image below is of the proposed "Wellness and Life Science Village" as it should have looked on completeion
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Mr Mark James resigned after NRW delayed the development, in order for the County council to properly evaluate the site. Undeterred, the Council's Executive Board led by Plaid Cymru councillor, Emlyn Dole, rebranded the project as "Pentre Awel", Breezy Village, and clearly intended to build some residential units and other features on the site. The site area is adjacent to the shore of the Loughor estuary, the lake's lock gates have been neglected and left in an open position, allowing the waters to become tidal. Sea levels are rising and the flooding risks have increaased acording to NRW. Surely a safer site will now be found, as the original plan for housing was for the elderly? As you see in the photos below, the site is still undeveloped. There has been some fly tipping but it could be a beautiful site for leasure and wildlife if it was cleaned up and landscaped. Mr Mark James has remarked that the choice of site was due to the fact the 40 qcres of land was already owned by the council. Where else could he find land so cheap?
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Wales' environmental organisation, Natural Resources Wales issues new guidance regularly on the likelihood of development site flooding and flood risks across the whole of Wales. This shows the large lake in the site as a likely flood risk and surely makes the development far less attractive to the housing and scientific buildings planned. The best use for the land, which may have been contaminated by the landfil process, is surely parkland and recreational activities. A great deal of money has likely been spent on the promotion of this site, which has failed to materialise due to lack of local funding, and probably an over ambitious plan to build a science park reliant on outside funding and foriegn private medical financial support which in the end did not materialise either from Kuwait or the Uk based Sterling Health. It turned out that the Kuwaiti firm had not yet built their private hospital and medical school and threatened to sue Swansea University, who had offered to host the Kuwaiti students in the UK, for damages, as their construction project in the Gulf was also stalled by the delay.
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County and Borough Councils are often the recipients of grants for economic development and other projects, but this case shows that they can fail when the projects are not properly researched and "partners" are recommended who are unknown to the Councillors, and turn out to be unreliable. There was no detailed plan shown to councillors on the costs and opportunities. Why should Kuwaiti students come to Llanelli to study? Why did drug companies wish to hire the units the council would build? Why site a new leisure centre and retirment home for Llanelli so far out of town?
This project has attracted the interest of Tarian, the welsh police fraud squad, who are investigating the County Council's involvement and Swansea University have taken disciplinary action against accademic staff involved. The process of police investigation of this strange project and its participants is not completed but hopefully there will be answers one day !
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People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-37816093039528831232020-10-20T21:01:00.005+01:002020-10-20T21:01:54.898+01:00Covid 19 - why was the NHS so unready?WHY WAS THE NHS SO POORLY PREPARED FOR COVID 19?
Another lock down is about to start in Wales as many areas here display rising levels of Covid infection. Only Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion seen to have relatively low levels of new infections.
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THE NHS WAS SET UP WHEN INFECTIOUS DISEASES WERE MAJOR KILLERS
When Aneurin Bevan set up the NHS infectious diseases caused a great deal of death ans disability. Hospitals and sanatoriums were built to house and isolate the sick with infectious diseases. Tuberculosis, menigitis, septicaemia and polio were commonplace. Better living conditions, routine vaccinations and the development of antibiotics have led to a steep decline in infectious diseases but we know now, to our cost that we should have prepared better for the pandemic we have now. The risk has been ignored.
When I was a medical sturdent there were still hospitals treating large numbers of patients in iron lung ventilators after polio had paralysed their breathing muscles. As a consultant I still saw a few patients cripled by polio as children. Nowadays polio is a rare infection and only a few dozen cases are repoted worldwide annually. some of the old diseases still occur, but a combination of healthier populations, vaccintions and prompt treatments and isolation have kept the numbers low in the West.
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Sars2/Covid 19 , is the virus that is causing so much trouble, Boris Johnson's "invisible mugger". A coronavirus originally from bats which was discovered in December 2019 in the customers of a wet market in Wuhan. Although some groups are more prone to serious complications and death, anyone can catch it. As plagues go, the death rate is modest – about 1% and falling as better treatments are found, but the groups most prone to serious complications and death , the elderly, obese, hypertensive, transplant recipients, cancer patients, etc can only avoid catching the disease by hiding from the invisible killer. As a large proportion of those infected by Covid 19 are asymptomatic, but infectious, some totally and others in the early days of the disease before they feel ill, every fellow human could be a possible source of the infection. You cannot tell who has it. Also. Test,track and isolate is much harder when many pass on the virus not even knowing they ever wwere infected.
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HOW DO WE GET RID OF IT?
In the absence of a "magic bullet treatment" at present we can only use the information we have about the virus to try to stop the tranmission. We know it is spread from person to person, mainly airborne, and so contact with others indoors, from outside our households is pretty dangerous. Social distancing and face coverings may well help but thre is no easy solution as yet. An effective vaccine would be great and as the doctors of the world learn more about the virus more drugs and therapies to save lives will emerge.
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<b>WHY WASN'T THE NHS READY FOR THIS?
It was not ready for an entirely new, highly infectious virus despite the warnibg in 2002-3 of SARS 1, a very similar virus outbreak mainly in Asia and spread by air transport. THe UK only had 4 cases and no deaths. World wide it killed 700 people and had a 10% mortality.People were usually very ill with it, and it had a short interval between catching it and falling ill - 2 days rather than the 14 days or more of SARS.2. Test,track and trace worked well, and it was eradicated.
It is now obvious that no governments or scientists yet have the instruments with which to permanently eradicate the SARS2-Covid19 virus. We are, for the time being, stuck with it, probably for at least a year or 2 and maybe longer. Lock downs, social distancing, masks, hand gel etc can slow it down, but that is all. New treatments and drugs are improving survival rates but not stopping all the deaths.
Something like this has not been seen in recent times in the West and was something not expected by the NHS, . Pandemics are not unknown, far from it, but all of the UK have deliberately run down infectious disease services and isolation units, to save money, as governments of all colours have demanded NHS “efficiencies ” , otherwise known as cuts.
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As these hospitals and units were closed, instead of being mothballed, they were generally sold off, often to developers, usually for building private housing to generate funds for whatever the NHS managers of the day desired. So both the extra space needed for isolation wards and the expertise in this new disease had to be built and learned fast by essentially unprepared health providers, whose previous policy was seemingly to ignore the threat
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Also, the growth of care homes and early discharge from hospital to other care in the community” has meant less medical supervision of the sick, This also allowed further asset stripping of the NHS, closing more geriatric wards and in general, reducing the choices for patients and increasing waiting lists for inpatient procedures. There was no slack in the system as any slack was pounced upon as an “efficiency saving” and eradicated.
The effect of this general policy of the NHS has been, even pre-Covid, in many cases an increase the stress on the staff and a decease in the quality of care. Its a poor economy as leaving patients for long periods on waiting lists means that many deteriorate and need more treatment and some may even be told they are beyond cure. Only the private sector benefit from this, but unlike the USA, private medicine in the the UK rarely offers emergency treatments and has very little intensive care facility. Not much use in a pandemic.
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<b>LIONS LED BY LABRADOODLES </b> [Labradoodles being dogs beloved by the wealthy middle classes and noted for enthusiastic devotion to their masters]
After years of delivering healthcare on the cheap, but senior mangerial salaries keeping Aneurin Bevan spinning in his grave, the wake up call has come in the form of Covid. This virus does not fit with the plans of our healthcare managers. The NHS is unused to quck emergency responses to a real health crisis and here in Wales the response was building field hospitals which were mainly unused and so stayed empty. I supect general guidance was poor, and panic high, as local facilities were overwhelmed by severely ill patients with an unusual dispaly of symptoms and complications that no-one had been taught in medical school.
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Our healthcare is managed overwhelmingly by a board of bureaucrats appointed by other bureaucrats who then appoint a token doctor and nurse to join them, with one or 2 trusted “members if the public” who are usually persons of note, and hardly representative of the public at large. Certainly no-one on a health board appears directly accountable to the public.
Our front line staff are truly lions led by labradoodles, People who selflessly throw themselves into the battle against the virus are led by people selected for their talents of subservience to government and ability to look good while burying incompetence in platitudes and propaganda.
We actually have had pandemic committees all over the UK, including Wales . They were planning for pandemic flu. When this virus is under control our planning for the next new infectious illness will hopefully be focussed more widely and our NHS more resilient. Its time for the NHS to become a more open and democratic system and accountable to those whose taxes pay for it
IF OUR HEALTH BOARDS WERE ELECTED, NOT APPOINTED, WOULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?
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The answer is, that we would not have dodged the virus, but honesty about the clinical situation and wider and more open public discussion could have changed the atmosphere in which the public were asked to make the serious sacrifices necessary to stabilise the situation. Breaking bad news is never easy, but playing down a disaterous situation destroys trust. In our current position trust, and the confidence of the people, have to be won and kept.
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If the Health Boards have a majority of elected members,{they may still need a senior doctor and nurse to consult) the board members will be people voted in whose conduct can be examined and judged.If they succeed they are rewarded, if they fail, they face replacement. In much of public service, deficiencies seem to be hidden rather than exposed and consequences for failure may be a quiet early retirement and a generous pension. A little more openness may actually inprove the relationship between the public and the public servants who we pay for. Without the trust and full cooperation of ordinary citizens everywhere, this crisis will last longer than it needs to, and none of us want that!
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Dr. Siân Caiach
Mob 07925 888053
Home 01554 785046
sian.caiach@gmail.com
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Postscript : A reecent Guardian Article claims that Labradoodles are in fact, genetically mainly poodles, who could have guessed?
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/sep/10/labradoodle-study-reveals-dogs-are-actually-mostly-poodle
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-85251469408494514902020-09-02T18:21:00.003+01:002020-09-16T11:30:33.300+01:00The Big Stink
IN 2016, after 8 years of a legal action at the European Court, the UK Government was convicted of being in breach of the EU Urban Waste Water Directive in Llanelli,<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQ9VSDszwyNRuV5IRQK2OhM4_0BNUZa-wj73yAdfC9oQ-TgJ7OGV1zzoupDakGq3oBFQAUgHZVbeVMy9RE2e7EWPEUM-cPOub_8YYNCOE3pk9RnxRif6abBmWw0-Nboa0-FFiQD0tbiRV/s2048/P7200031.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: none;"><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQ9VSDszwyNRuV5IRQK2OhM4_0BNUZa-wj73yAdfC9oQ-TgJ7OGV1zzoupDakGq3oBFQAUgHZVbeVMy9RE2e7EWPEUM-cPOub_8YYNCOE3pk9RnxRif6abBmWw0-Nboa0-FFiQD0tbiRV/s320/P7200031.JPG"/></a></div> a law which states that all urban sewage should be completely treated before discharge into any body of water. Not only was the local sewage treatment provider Welsh Water, spilling raw sewage into the Loughor Estuary/Burry Inlet but it was also aware that this site was supposedly a nature reserve and major Cockle fishery with E.U, Natura status.
In Llanelli, an inadequate new sewage treatment plant had been in operation since 1997 , replacing many smaller ones and using UV light to kill the bugs. As the town grew with much new housing the sewage discharges increased. The rich cockle fishery was greatly diminished and in 2005 a mass cockle death event occurred known as the “big Stink” when millions of cockles rose to the surface of the Loughor estuary, died and rotted THe picture seems to show a shingle beach.It is the shells of millions of dead cockles in 2005.
As this was Wales,huge efforts were made to hide the inadequacy of the local sewage system. Several reports suggested all sorts of reasons other than the sewage that could be killing the cockles and other wildlife.
One of the worst deceptions was blaming, a “new” protozoal parasite Minchinia Mercinaria which was was said by a National Resources Wales officer to have caused havoc in the clam beds of Virginia.
When I tracked down the scientific paper and its authors the organism had in fact not killed a single clam. The USA clam fishery is major business and “High Tech”. The “new” microscopic parasite was not a new organism to the world. It had been found in a routine sample of 180 juvenile hard clams. One of them had a small infection. Electron microscopy showed it had a new variant of a Minchinia parasite not yet described in the literature. The Virginia studies showed it to be harmless,,with 30% of other clams in the group showing antibodies to it having made a complete recovery. The only clams that died were those deliberately killed and dissected to find the parasites and antibodies
The researchers realised that it was not a new organism as reports of it came in from all over the world when they published their techniques, and findings, including Llanelli. It could not have spread worldwide so quickly from Virginia but our local Cockle gatherers were blamed for bringing it in to the cockle beds on their boots. The fact that the Americans had shown it to be of no commercial significance, ie harmless to their fisheries, was kept from the public.
Other theories included suicide by oversexed cockles, however the deaths were seasonal and similar to other sewage polluted waterways, where algal blooms reduce oxygen levels, suffocating shellfish.and other water dwellers..
The County Council Senior Officers must have been fully aware and kept on encouraging the Councillors to grant planning permission for more new houses, mainly for incomers , telling the county Councillors that more homes meant more council tax.
A case was accepted by the European Court in 2008 in the name of Mr David Conrad Rees, Chair of the Sandy and Stradey Residents Committee, representing an area where sewage flooding was a serious problem..
He was joined by local cockle hand gatherers, many of whom had lost much their fishing grounds After 8 years of excuses and denials in Carmarthenshire,,the UK Government accepted guilt. Members of the public had to fight to prove the breach in EU rules.
Welsh Water submitted a plan to provide more sewage treatment without the huge expense of building a new sewage treatment plant. It was called “Rainscape”. The idea was to remove surface water from the sewers by draining it away in a new pipe .
The major element of Rainscape, the digging of a 1.5metre drainage tunnel to drain the groundwater from south Llanelli, has stalled and Rainscape has not yet been completed.
The problem is that the drilling rig appears to have hit one of the large aquifers which lie under the town and had somehow been missed in the surveying of the tunnel route. This aquifer was uncharted and very large and extends under the train station and railway tracks. I have seen the Morgan Sindall report showing that there are difficulties in extracting this water and essentially nowhere to safely pump it to, at the time of writing the report, It also runs the danger of shifting the existing rail tracks if a void is formed beneath them. High groundwater levels are also a problem and could quickly refill the aquifer. There are ways of puttting a tunnel through an area like this but I am told these are civil engineering projects of high cost and some risk. Has Welsh Water got the funds to do this?
This has meant that the last section of the Rainscape tunnel remains unfinished. As this is the scheme designed to produce the improvement demanded by the European Court .There is no news. The Scheme cost over £90 million.
. I’m concerned that raw sewage is still being discharged into the Burry Inlet and there is no sign of a plan B. Even more worrying is the County Council appears to have given planning permission for numerous buildings in the Llanelli catchment area over the past few years without checking that any improvement in sewage discharges had been achieved, surely adding to the foul sewage loads into a Natura Wildlife site, and likely further deterioration of the very poorly "protected" habitats.
In Welsh tradition there have been few surveys of the wildlife or bacterial water quality studies – if you don’t look maybe no-one will notice! Llanelli Beach was last tested, I believe in 2009 , and the numbers of bacteria were so high the Council stopped testing. It is not a designated bathing beach and as it is owned by the council, who know it is probably still polluted, with never ne allowed to be. However, it is used for bathing and paddling by visitors. I have asked the County Council for the beach water to be tested many times. Unfortunately only "designated bathing beaches" are regulated and have regular testing, Llanelli Beach does not qualitf.
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To me this looks like the Rainscape project has, at best , stalled and at worst, failed .I can see why it is difficult to dig the tunnel under the station but surely we should know the prognosis of the scheme? If it has failed or been seriously delayed it has significant planning implications and a new way must be found to clean up the estuary, instead of deliberately worsening of the pollution of our estuary. As the health of the Estuary is not regularly tested it could simply be declared “dead”, of no wildlife value and that I suspect , may be the goal, an argument o allow the pollution as much of the habitat has already been destroyed.
It has been suggested to me that the project is on stop as Welsh Water hopes that leaving the EU will negate the findings against the UK in the European Court.
Why do our elected Councillors allow the Burry Inlet to be an open sewer? I’d love to see it returned to a clean wildlife haven and prosperous fishery..The UK Government has accepted that there was a serious breach of the E.U. Urban Waste Water Directive in Llanelli , and expected Welsh Government,,through NRW as the regulating body and Welsh Water as the polluter, to remedy the situation long ago. Something has gone wrong and no-one is telling!
It appears. very little has been done as requested by the European Court.. Welsh Water explain that without the frequent sewage spills into the estuary Llanelli would flood again with sewage and the pollution of the estuary and fishery is therefore necessary to preserve public health. What sort of 3rd world country do we live in?People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-80779453288709517662020-06-04T19:16:00.000+01:002020-06-14T02:45:27.169+01:00Hardship and Uncertainty - how long will we be living with the virus?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
THE UNEXPECTED KILLER<br />
<br />
Few people in the UK seriously envisaged a worldwide pandemic such as the one we have now. I recently spoke to a former member of the Wales Pandemic Committee who described the meetings as often more of "free lunch" than a serious attempt to work through the reality of various pandemic issues. Apart from setting aside stocks of masks and gloves, very little was done.<br />
<br />
It's said that in the West we were expecting the next pandemic to be another strain of influenza. The plans were based on epidemic precautions to treat diseases like swine 'flu.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NHS " managed" first wave of SARS 2 ,but many patients still waiting for routine treatments</td></tr>
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In 2009 -2010 a pandemic flu epidemic arose in Mexico and spread across the world. At least a quarter of a million people died, but because many European elderly people had some useful immunity to this type of 'flu, it did not have the devastating effect that was expected. Since then, flu vaccines have been used extensively in the West to shield the vulnerable from influenza outbreaks with general success.<br />
<br />
In the Middle East and Far East,they had experience with the new pandemic diseases SARS 1 and MERS, which probably gave their countries, who had experienced nasty coronaviruses before, an advantage when Covid 19 emerged as it was similar to these previous diseases of which they had experience earlier in this century. They already had the expertise with deadly coronoviruses to use immediately. It is so close in nature to SARS that Covid 19 is officially now referred to as SARS - CoV2, - SARS2 for short<br />
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SARS 1 - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome was a very similar coronovirus, originating in bats and probably mutating after close exposure to other animals, which emerged in China in 2002 and caused 8.000 cases over 26 counties with almost 800 deaths.. Like Covid 19 it is thought to have come from live food markets where animals are kept in close proximity to each other and in poor conditions. The symptoms were very similar except that diarrhoea as well as a high temperature and cough, was a common symptom. It was a severe illness and death rates were higher with around one in 3 cases needing hospital care and one in 10 people dying. This compares to a 1% death rate of SARS 2/ Covid 19 , the virus active here now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empty Streets across Europe - now lock downs being relaxed </td></tr>
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BORIS' INVISIBLE MUGGER<br />
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In the original SARS outbreak no drug cure was found and despite years of work, no vaccine was ever produced. The disease was controlled and eventually eliminated by screening for high temperature, isolating those with symptoms and their contacts, and strict infection control in hospitals. As it was a more severe infection ,it was easier to track down carriers and follow up contacts.<br />
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With SARS2 /Covid 19 many people have the virus and spread the virus with no symptoms themselves. A recent research report from China suggests that these carriers may feel well but still have the distinctive lung lesions of SARS "on CT scans, adopted by many Chinese hospitals for instant diagnosis, rather than a swab test with a wait for a result.<br />
<span class="meta-citation-journal-name" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "guardian textsans web" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">JAMA. </span><span class="meta-citation" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "guardian textsans web" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">2020;323(14):1406-1407. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.2565</span><br />
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The Chinese have used lung CT lung scans for diagnosis and evaluation from early in their epidemic as they usually show the very distinctive Covid 19 lung lesions, even in those who feel well. In the UK we have struggled with testing for various reasons, and were not able to quickly isolate cases as the Chinese were, nor probably did we have their access to CT scanners.<br />
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We were in the UK prepared for 'Flu, we had pandemic committees across the UK, officially "ready" for a deadly flu epidemic but with no apparent expectation of a SARS type virus. Along with the large number of asymptomatic carriers, and the ease of spread,, the UK was unprepared for this new illness.<br />
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RESPONDING TO A NEW ILLNESS<br />
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The UK Government was reasonably quick to try to preserve the economy, setting up various schemes to lay off workers on 80% pay, a plethora of grants and financial assistance and a blatant abandonment of most self employed people with modest incomes.<br />
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Here in Wales converting Rugby Stadiums and other buildings into hospitals that we eventually did not need, became a bit of an obsession .Now they are being reviewed. we will probably retain a few but the ones which were completely unused may well be "stood down". People who recover from ITU treatment do often need rehabilitation but it seems that the survivors were fewer than calculated and extremely keen to get out of hospital and have physiotherapy in the community.<br />
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Its difficult to assess whether or not we are about to get a significantly bigger second wave , but in the absence of a vaccine or a preventative drug it would be logical to assume that we may well get a second wave and until we get on top of this virus, could easily have more waves later on.<br />
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SARS 1 was eliminated by 2004. It was starved of life by stopping people spreading it to others. Some of the survivors were monitored for antibodies long term, they all had plenty to start with and the antibody counts fell off over 3 years or so, but not entirely, There were a big efforts to make a vaccine to SARS1 but none were successful, and as no new outbreaks happened the projects were abandoned.<br />
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WE NOW KNOW MORE, BUT IS IT ENOUGH?<br />
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SARS2 is a different animal in that a lot of victims do not show symptoms immediately, and some not at all. These cases are all infectious. Out doors is relatively safe because the virus appears mainly spread by coughs and breathing, and outside the air dilutes it quicker. It takes a number of virus particles to start an infection and overwhelm our defences, so concentrating many people close together helps the virus spread easily, hence social distancing .<br />
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Indoors is more dangerous as the viruses can accumulate in the air and get breathed in more easily. Hygiene, hand-washing,social distancing and face coverings should help slow the spread, but relatively few of us have met this new virus before and so most of us probably have no immunity to it. We won't know until antibody tests are readily available to the public, how many of us have already had the illness.<br />
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Research seems to be showing that the amount of virus carried by patients in their nose and throat is much the same in those who feel well throughout their infection compared to those who are sick. So even if all of us who have symptoms isolate for 14 days , many people will still be distributing the virus into the air and on urfaces without even realising the danger they are to others. Some of these will eventually feel ill but many others may never know they have had it, without the further tests not yet available to the public.Test , track and isolate is not as easy with this particular bug.<br />
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It seems easy - test everyone who feels ill with the right symptoms, if they are positive isolate them, find out who they have been in contact with, and tell them to isolate too. If they get symptoms, they get a test as well and their contacts are traced if that test is positive. The idea is to chase down every new infection and catch anybody likely to be a carrier before they have a chance to infect anyone else. In the end the virus is starved of victims and dies out.<br />
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There are a few things which could be problematic and make this difficult:<br />
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<b>The accuracy of the testing.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
No test is absolutely 100% effective. The original tests used in the UK had a significant false negative result, some because the virus was at too low a level early in the infection and others due to poor swabbing technique and problems with the test itself, but in combination some calculated that 10% or more positive cases may have wrongly been given negative results.<br />
Presumably we have more accurate testing now, as if not, we will lose some cases which should be isolated and have contacts traced. False negative tests could leave infectious cases in the community with false reassurance.<br />
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<b>The number of cases infected who have symptoms.</b><br />
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There is now lots of evidence that this disease has a considerable number of asymptomatic carriers. These people feel fine and may never be aware that they are carriers. Some of these are the legendary "super spreaders" and these people unknowingly are dangerously infectious. Also, as the protocol is only to test those with symptoms, these cases could be totally missed,<br />
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<b>Co-operation of the public</b><br />
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There must be public trust for co-operation. People must understand why they must self isolate and at present the plan is to ask everyone to self isolate after contact, even if you have had the virus before,<br />
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To self isolate for 14 days takes some commitment if you think you have already caught the virus, been isolated or even hospitalised, and got over it. I think these people will naturally feel most aggrieved , and should be offered an antibody test which is evidence for having had the virus and recovered with some immunity<br />
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Although it is true that we do not know exactly how long the immunity lasts, it probably lasts at least a year and maybe longer if the SARS1 data is relevant. As we actually have do have antibody test kits to check the presence of antibodies, surely we could use them?<br />
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There have not been any proven cases of reinfection after recovery from the illness but there are cases of long lasting disease with complications where the virus was secreted for a long time before the patient was finally clear of the virus, This allowed them to test positive some weeks apart but was not thought to be a new infection, just a resurgence of the original one.<br />
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There is no scientific evidence I can find of any people definitely catching it twice. As there is no drug treatment for the disease, every survivor has had antibodies to the virus as it was the only way they could have recovered is through their own immune system finally killing the virus.<br />
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<b>The Asymptomatic Carrier Problem</b><br />
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The test. track and isolate policy is planned to be used with symptomatic people. already sick with the virus. We know that many people just do not have symptoms, so may not be picked up.<br />
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For instance an asymptomatic carrier may pass the virus to 2 people. He or she recovers without even knowing they were were ever infected. Of the 2 people infected by them, one becomes sick, lets call them A, has a test and A's contacts are tracked and isolated and A isolates too.The original case may now be testing negative and may be asked to isolate,as a contact of A but its too late. Theyare probably not infectious now. Even if they did test positive there is no way of knowing whether they were infected by A, rather than the source of A's infection.<br />
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The other has a mild or asymptomatic case, lets call them B and never gets tested and is unaware they are infectious,. A and B may not ever have met, B may go on to infect other people. So this test ,track and isolate strategy in the presence of asymptomatic carriers may take a long time to totally eliminate the disease. It will "miss" some cases which are infectious but not exposed as such.<br />
<br />
So the hint of terror on the faces of our politicians and their medical and scientific advisers at their daily briefings is not just chronic stage fright, they are really worried..<br />
<br />
We are dealing with a virus for which we currently have no cure, and no prevention yet, other than stopping people getting close enough to each other to catch it or pass it on. Its not easy to spot who has it, hence the temperature checks at airports etc. Even these are not totally reliable.<br />
<br />
A study of 78 people who tested positive in Wuhan after visiting the wet market, where the original outbreak occurred, 42% were asymptomatic. They were predominately female, and younger than the others in the group.<br />
<br />
.Other studies suggest that asymptomatic carriers are present in between 25% to 50% of all people actually infected. I doubt the scientists are confident of quickly containing the virus if up to half of all who get infected are not even aware of their condition. Add to this that around 40% of people who will become ill probably pass on the virus before actually becoming ill. Eliminating the virus may not be easy. For the time being we are going to have to live with it, by hiding from it , while we cannot be exactly sure about who may actually have it. Hence, avoiding everyone, as we cannot tell who is a carrier?<br />
<br />
<span class="meta-citation-journal-name" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "guardian textsans web" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic;">JAMA Netw Open. </span><span class="meta-citation" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "guardian textsans web" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">2020;3(5):e2010182. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.10182</span><br />
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Perfectly well looking people who don't realise they have the virus are as likely , or even more likely, to spread it as those who feel sick having similarly contracted the same virus. It is easy to catch from other people and Winter is coming, the time when we usually seek out warm and sheltered places in which to live, work and socialise.<br />
<br />
The decisions of what to do are not easy. Since the first cases, we know more about the virus, but not enough to quickly eliminate it. Our doctors and medical staff are becoming more skilled at keeping severely ill people alive. Less people are dying but too many are still being killed by the virus.<br />
<br />
For our leaders the difficulty is to balance the health issues with the massive hit to the economy we have taken. Enough people have already lost their jobs or had their businesses devastated.Tens of thousands of people have died in the UK and hundreds still die every week.<br />
<br />
LIVES VERSUS LIVELIHOODS<br />
<br />
The more we restrict social contact the closer we get to eliminating the virus, and saving lives. Test, trace and isolate is not as straightforward as it looks in theory. Its going to take time and we probably will be fire fighting outbreaks until we get good immunity Either from a vaccine or from lots of us catching it, herd immunity will eventually reduce or stop the infection enough to return to "normal life", Neither path is likely to be quick or easy.<br />
<br />
However, the more we restrict social contact the more we restrict important areas of the economy, the more jobs we lose, the more debt we incur. The poorer the Country gets.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJge63DfeA1iQAXQLp0lXbJkhlXdqdFrSo05RU0J-ZXqRqjhvgPCT6tpECsNl4NtQcbgyv-epXCEiAZ4AAPPIVTkFUIjdE41BMkl6vQ3yHwlep_nS2eZblsK1FCwWnX27HKYRV1pq5dyO/s1600/DSCN1040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJge63DfeA1iQAXQLp0lXbJkhlXdqdFrSo05RU0J-ZXqRqjhvgPCT6tpECsNl4NtQcbgyv-epXCEiAZ4AAPPIVTkFUIjdE41BMkl6vQ3yHwlep_nS2eZblsK1FCwWnX27HKYRV1pq5dyO/s320/DSCN1040.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will the banks and big businesses dictate policy yet again? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
How much weight and effort the Governments of Britain put into saving lives and saving the economy are largely political decisions; according to their powers ,ambitions and what they believe their populations will accept. However, the crisis itself restricts their choices considerably, as so little is predictable, and much unknown. The available options are very limited and none of the strategies are without the danger of failure. It is not a simple choice between degrees of lock down and economic growth. The virus was completely novel and in many respects so is the strategy for manging the situation.<br />
<br />
Who will decide the priorities? Probably not us!<br />
<br />
Siân Caiach </div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-91538487388601646392020-05-20T17:16:00.000+01:002020-05-21T14:09:04.614+01:00A Draft from the Past - the Burn Family still trying to find out why they were victimised.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In my series of blogs on "The Councillors' lost daughter" I have described the torment suffered by the Burn family over ten years ago, Their daughter, Carina, has a rare genetic condition which means she cannot speak and has learning difficulties. She is able to communicate simply using a letter board, with her mother<br />
.<br />
Carina was taken into care after allegations were made through her 2 occasional day carers that she was being sexually abused and involved, with her parents, in prostitution. Even though the carers had just been sacked by her mother, Julia, after Carina's spending money went missing without receipts, the story of abuse was naturally taken very seriously. The 2 carers "helped" Carina make detailed statements to the police implicating her parents.This disabled young woman who had always been assessed as having severe learning difficulties was even assessed by a Psychiatrist as a competent adult on the "evidence" of the 2 carers who assisted her in communicating "like an adult", apparently tatally fooling the doctor! He was later criticised by the GMC.<br />
<br />
The police found no evidence of abuse whatsoever, but social services were still suspicious of wrongdoing. Carina was put into residential care and not allowed to see her parents for almost 6 months.,<br />
<br />
A scientific examination of Carina with her carers by a specialist communication expert eventually showed that neither woman could communicate with Carina at all .The Council delayed returning the girl to her parents, apparently desperate to find evidence to support their own actions, even inviting Professor Howlin to Carmarthen to explain how there was no evidence against her parents.<br />
<br />
The Professor had shown without doubt that the carers could not communicate with Carina at all, However, Carina could communicate with the professor and spelt out that she wanted to go home. She had the communication skills of a young child.<br />
<br />
Even then Council officers appeared unconvinced and there was some evidence that they were arranging to foster her out of County. The foster parents would have had no means of communicating with Carina and her parents could still have been prevented from contacting her.<br />
<br />
However, as the County Council insisted that Carina was a fully competent adult, her mother was able to invite her daughter to accompany her home at an access visit she was given with Carina.<br />
Carina chose to go home with her mother.<br />
<br />
Even though it had been proved that none of the Carers could communicate with Carina, a social worker claimed that Carina insisted she did not want to see her father. When she got home she was clearly delighted to see him.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjmM1qEGQe_j2fdgpPKaL6GJZ6sZDWXtSplQgyUFprDGWtlv87yoimZjHL2JpPvxrEppl62_OYCuxDvE7Rx0ZpliEZ8KfICcXkwffSZC1Ur5USO7DuC4eqrY33tqtPdbEz7Df72jvJkb4/s1600/Carina+and+Robin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjmM1qEGQe_j2fdgpPKaL6GJZ6sZDWXtSplQgyUFprDGWtlv87yoimZjHL2JpPvxrEppl62_OYCuxDvE7Rx0ZpliEZ8KfICcXkwffSZC1Ur5USO7DuC4eqrY33tqtPdbEz7Df72jvJkb4/s400/Carina+and+Robin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carina with her father, Robin Burn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
It is not unusual for public bodies to try to hide mistakes but Julia and Robin have been tortured for years as to why these awful accusations were made.Was it just a plan to get back at the parents for dismissing the carers that got out of hand or was there a deeper, more sinister reason?. Robin Burn was a local, outspoken, town councillor. He had moved from England to Carmarthenshire to give Carina the best quality of life possible and was active in the local community.<br />
<br />
He represented Plaid Cymru on Burry Port Town council but, as often happens, was no longer welcome in his political party after the "scandal" even though nothing was ever proved against him. Was this part of political campaign or a personal vendetta? Why did the 2 carers make such cruel allegations about Carina's loving parents. Did someone "put them up to it"<br />
<br />
Julia, Carina;s mother, put up a change.org petition asking for an independent safeguarding investigation of the case. She is desperate to find out the truth about why all this happened. The employers of the 2 Carers, Perthyn, have asked Change.corg to take the petition down, Julia has asked Change.org to keep the petition active and it still is available.<br />
<br />
Perthyn were employed by Carmarthenshire County Council to provide the 2 carers. Julia and Robin are, as yet, no closer to finding out why their family suffered this awful experience. but are now aware that Perthyn do not wish their case to be looked at again. Change .org are keeping the petition open on their site.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "google sans" , "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 22px;">Change.org : Justice for Carina</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "google sans" , "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "google sans" , "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 22px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 22px; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "google sans" , "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> Siân Caiach </span></span></div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-73199169158003745552020-03-06T13:33:00.000+00:002020-03-25T00:01:59.959+00:00Too Big to Care - Taylor Wimpey asks for planning permission for a very dodgy wall,<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We often hear the phrase "too big to fail", usually applied to banks and others whose financial organisations who get automatic bail outs from Central Governments.<br />
<br />
But there are other huge companies who, sometimes like banks, may manage huge finances including large debts, who are also too big. They get automatic bailouts at a lower level of local and regional government, and their size and power allow them to brake rules and laws with impunity, and act totally selfishly.<br />
<br />
Last month [21/02/2020] I called a community meeting in the Stradey and Sandy Area of my Council Ward. The main issue discussed was a local Housing Estate, recently completed, called Parc Y Strade. As the name suggests, it was built on the site of the old Stradey Park Stadium in Llanelli. At the beginning of this century the rugby club was in major financial difficulties and had accumulated major debt. One of the club's directors had given it a multi million pound loan and he wanted his money back. Together with the Chief Executive of Carmarthenshire Council..Mark James. a plan was apparently hatched to build a new Stadium "out of Town" and sell the old site, practise pitches and adjacent plots of land suddenly acquired, perhaps by those "in the know," for development of a huge residential estate.355 homes have now been built there.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85qSZtmhZ0sZj9gU-My6rd-z4MTIcu-68TwC74pGhpwxz0DsE7dHbWElkV4PKY9zCEgMG6Gvqv4WNzndf2dXxWkD_rIJo7x286JwsVnetv2Sd39XC_99ZGqgGijsaSCy_UPf_cGQmkwrQ/s1600/DSCN0815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85qSZtmhZ0sZj9gU-My6rd-z4MTIcu-68TwC74pGhpwxz0DsE7dHbWElkV4PKY9zCEgMG6Gvqv4WNzndf2dXxWkD_rIJo7x286JwsVnetv2Sd39XC_99ZGqgGijsaSCy_UPf_cGQmkwrQ/s400/DSCN0815.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parc Y Strade first phase Photo Sian Caiach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The original land occupied by the Rugby Club, had been gifted to the People of Llanelli for recreational purposes by the Stradey Estate The Scarlets plc went to court without informing the original donors, the Stradey Estate, and quite legally established ownership of the land through occupation. Of course this was simply in order to sell it on for profit very soon after.<br />
<br />
Problem One was that the land was on an undefended C2 flood plain. According to the Assembly's official policy document, Planning Policy Wales, C2 land is too dangerous for building homes on. Only vital utilities, such as sewage pumping stations should be built on it. On these grounds, the Assembly "called in" the planning permission and halted the process. Our Assembly Government has frequently been weak and this was no exception. Threatened by multi-million pound lawsuits from the developers Taylor Wimpey, Minster Jane Davidson threw in the towel with the support of local Assembly member Helen Mary Jones.<br />
<br />
Helen told a Llanelli Plaid Cymru meeting that the Assembly could be seriously financially damaged by the legal action and was more important to maintain the new devolved administration than a local issue. The reaction was a stunned silence, as I recall.<br />
<br />
It it did not bode well for "Planning Policy Wales" the book of instructions from the Assembly to Local Authorities, when a wealthy bully could dictate to the Assembly where they could build irrespective of community safety.<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgEXq8Xz9lXTkExnKIuKYc-gxZ8LtSgCF-jrafCE0rgaNEaStWDoDYMdz9Px4wB5Bqs1Cg0taKxnUF4k79Rc-miaAcBX6wgQK64XueGiVLN5tmkA5c65gx0w5l1D6l_ihkfAcMqO69ou3/s1600/DSCN1150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgEXq8Xz9lXTkExnKIuKYc-gxZ8LtSgCF-jrafCE0rgaNEaStWDoDYMdz9Px4wB5Bqs1Cg0taKxnUF4k79Rc-miaAcBX6wgQK64XueGiVLN5tmkA5c65gx0w5l1D6l_ihkfAcMqO69ou3/s400/DSCN1150.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the southern boundary of Parc y Strade estate held up by a curtain pile wall - photo Sian Caiach </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To protect the new homes Taylor Wimpey was advised to raise the lowest areas of the site to 7 metres above sea level . This would raise the new homes out of the flood plain but also run the risk of flooding in the surrounding areas. The pile wall did not go well, the piles shattered the foul sewer main which ran in the lane below,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The wall was placed not on Taylor Wimpey's land but around 2 foot over the boundary in Stradey Estate land, a lane through which the residents of Sandy Road had legal access to their garages and back gardens. Narrowing the lane has caused access problems and in the retrospective planning permission now underway, Taylor Wimpey's agent claims that the additional land was "acquired" from the Stradey Estate,There is no evidence that they have.</div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
Patrick Mansel Lewis, the land owner, regards the placing of the wall on his land as theft, Taylor Wimpey declines to answer his correspondence on the matter.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The pile wall already leaks and residents of the lane have impressive film on their phones showing water leaking through some of the piles' vertical joins as well as coming up underneath them, When Welsh Water dug up the lane to repair the sewer, 2 of the piles shifted and had to be re positioned to stand vertically after all the earth behind then had been removed. There appears to be no formal drainage behind the piles. Taylor Wimpey admits, in the planning documents, that they chose thin piles in order to maximise the land of surrounding their properties.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
By siting the piles on someone else's land Taylor Wimpey may have cleverly moved the piles and possibly liability of maintenance on to the owners of the appropriated/stolen land. I believe the Stradey Estate has far less money than our National Assembly who capitulated to Taylor Wimpey's threats before the estate was built. The local Planning Committee who now all know that the land is not Taylor Wimpey's are in a bind. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The policy of the Council is to build as many homes as possible in Carmarthenshire to attract as many people as possible to move to the County and increase the council tax take.This has been supported by all major party groups including the current Plaid leadership. They normally bend over backwards to accommodate the big building companies. I hope for once, they will not allow this particular retrospective application. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the meantime the residents of Sandy Road have a rusting, leaking wall behind their homes which has already, during construction, left some of them without sewerage services for weeks. Some can no longer get their vehicles easily into their garages and parking spaces. The bin lorries now struggle to reverse down the narrowed,long lane to pick up bin bags, and some are left behind squashed. If the piles fail and collapse residents of the lane will lose access and amenity.</div>
<div>
<br />
Although it is technically legal to ask for planning permission on land you do not own, I doubt it is actually legal to build on land you do not own with the objection of the real owner. Add the jeopardy of building a wall holding back tons of soil and showing signs of leaking already. The residents are fearful of what may happen despite the claims of Taylor Wimpey that the wall will last 100 years.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Siân Caiach</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Update:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Having corresponded with Councillor Alun Lenny, Plaid Cymru, and Chair of the County Planning Committee, he has asked me the following question:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="gE iv gt" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; padding: 20px 0px 0px;">
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<span class="qu" role="gridcell" tabindex="-1"><span class="gD" data-hovercard-id="AlunLenny@carmarthenshire.gov.uk" data-hovercard-owner-id="137" email="AlunLenny@carmarthenshire.gov.uk" name="Cllr. Alun Lenny" style="color: #202124; display: inline; font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top;">Cllr. Alun Lenny</span></span></h3>
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<span class="hb" style="color: #5f6368; font-size: 0.75rem; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 20px; vertical-align: top;">to <span class="g2" data-hovercard-id="peoplefirstwales@gmail.com" data-hovercard-owner-id="137" dir="ltr" email="peoplefirstwales@gmail.com" name="me" style="vertical-align: top;">me</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Hello Sian<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">As this is obviously an inquiry about a legal issue, would you be happy for me to forward your e-mail to the lawyer who usually advises the planning committee at the council’s legal department?<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Best wishes,<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Alun</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I have replied that I am happy for him to take legal advice. I have asked for information as to the identity of the Lawyer concerned but have had no reply.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">LATEST NEWS</span><br />
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">An objection by the land owner Patrick Mansel Lewis, on whose land the pile wall was placed without permission, is available on line as a submission to the planning department among the papers for the retrospective planning permission. As well as the issues discussed above it is claimed that some of the pile sheets are no longer perfectly vertical. </span><br />
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">Mr Mansel Lewis asks for the planning permission to be rejected and the wall to be removed from his land by Taylor Wimpey.</span></div>
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People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-13943178118726448112020-01-14T16:33:00.000+00:002020-02-16T12:39:11.142+00:00Adam Price gives up? - Carmarthenshire Council Plaid Group side with Council Officers, not their voters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Update:14/02/2020<br />
Still no word on the proposed meeting between Mr Price and Mr Dole to discuss Trisha's case.<br />
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ADAM PRICE WANTS TO HAVE HONEST POLITICS.</div>
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In his proposed <b>Representatives (Prohibition of Deception)Bill </b> Adam Price is
careful to include MP’s and Assembly Members but excludes County
Councillors. This is especially relevant to the local Plaid Cymru
position in Carmarthenshire County Council where the Plaid Leader and
Plaid Executive board appear to have got well into a habit of
accepting lets say, less than the truth.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVV23r8FjjylIghTjmJfhT14171-UQkt1hyGzGSvw251eg2sYj8FbsSOGhDZfgjMdKJ92dWcRomiynoEXyZESA_eSPeGTlljhdKFx8UqGgCWIeZypEyatDtkkXSmuqx7iozTVFHjcBHWB/s1600/adam+price.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVV23r8FjjylIghTjmJfhT14171-UQkt1hyGzGSvw251eg2sYj8FbsSOGhDZfgjMdKJ92dWcRomiynoEXyZESA_eSPeGTlljhdKFx8UqGgCWIeZypEyatDtkkXSmuqx7iozTVFHjcBHWB/s1600/adam+price.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam Price AM Leader of Plaid Cymru</td></tr>
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ADAM HAS FAILED TO PERSUADE HIS OWN LOCAL COUNCILLORS</div>
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Adam is well aware
of this. The Plaid Leader of Council, the Reverend Emlyn Dole, is
said to have refused to meet with his Party Leader and explain his
behaviour. A Plaid Executive Councillor has explained to Mrs Trishia
Breckam , a lady about to lose her home after 16 years of County
Council mismanagement, that unfortunately the Council Leader, Emlyn
Dole, seems primarily influenced by the Council’s Head of Legal,
Linda Rees Jones, and not by his party. Emlyn appears happy to repeat statements now exposed as untrue and still maintains that even talking about Mrs Breckman’s
case will lead to the whole council losing its liability insurance. </div>
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FORCED TO GIVE UP ON HIS LOCAL CONSTITUENT</div>
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Adam’ Price's office has now emailed Trisha, his constituent, declining to
help her any further. Clearly he has no power or influence over Emlyn Dole, the man who is supposed to run the Council. It's an honest admission of failure. Adam Price appears totally impotent on the matter.<br />
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Emlyn is hardly the first politician to put self interest before Party loyalty. In my previous blog it is obvious that Adam is outraged by Tricia's treatment by the Council, but unable as yet to stop his councillors blocking a settlement for this elderly couple.<br />
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Tragically I beleive these Plaid Councillors who are blocking Adam's quest for justice for Tricia are are just more scared of Council Officers and Emlyn Dole tahn Adam Price, This is a battle in which Councillor Emlyn Dole intends to beat his party leader and so far it looks like he has the upper hand. All if the senior Plaid Councillors seem to be backing Emlyn, and betraying Adam, I suspect through fear rather than any other motive.</div>
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A BASKET CASE COUNCIL?</div>
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Now the County
Council in Carmarthenshire may always have been officer lead since its formation in 1999 and my
observation when I was a councillor there for 9 years, 2008-17, was that the
Chief Executive and senior officers were definitely in charge, rather
than elected members. As in many dysfunctional organisations,
deceitfully concealing mistakes takes up much time and energy and
admissions of failure are not allowed.
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RESIDENTS AND COUNCILLORS TREATED WITH CONTEMPT WHERE IT SUITS</div>
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Linda Rees Jones,
with Emlyn Dole’s support appears to have instructed senior Plaid
councillors that giving an ex gratia payment to the Breckman’s
would result in the entire Council losing liability cover from Zurich
insurance , their insurance provider. Also any discussion of the
case by Councillors would also lead to all liability insurance to be
withdrawn. Trisha Breckman asked Zurich to check their records. This
information given verbally to the councillors was said to be in a
legally privileged letter that Linda Rees Jones could not show to
anyone, they had to take it on trust. All this to prevent a payment, although planned to be given without admission of fault, which might suggest a council failure. After all, letting a couple lose their home due to Council mismanagement is better than any admission of less than perfect conduct?</div>
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EVIDENCE FROM ZURICH INSURANCE THAT SOMEONE MAY BE FIBBING!</div>
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Below is
confirmation from Zurich that the letter does not exist and that they
have not corresponded with the officers of the council on these
matters in the terms described by Emlyn Dole and his legal adviser Linda Rees Jones.</div>
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Excerpt from letter
from Zurich to Trisha dated 12<sup>th</sup> December from Zurich’s
Joanne O’Donnell who checked the entire Breckman case file.</div>
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“<i>I can also
categorically state there is no evidence within the file of papers
that we have told anyone within the Council l that we will not allow
them to grant an ex gratia payment. There is no evidence that we have
told anyone in the Council that they are not allowed to discuss your
case with anyone”</i></div>
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THE MYSTERY OF THE LETTER</div>
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So Linda's letter is still a mystery. All Trisha has been able to
establish is that there were no threats by the Council’s Insurers,
Zurich, as claimed orally by Linda Rees Jones and Emlyn Dole .What was contained in that letter allegedly from Zurich Insurance? </div>
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The
council is in no danger of losing insurance cover if Councillors
discuss the matter. Neither have the insurers threatened to block an
ex gratia payment by withdrawing their cover if one is made. The ex
gratia payment comes from the Council’s own funds, so its
difficult to see how it effects insurance. In this council some officers are expert in influencing councillors, and as it is Senior Councillors , not Council Officers,who are actually liable for the actions of the Council its a win-win situation for the Officers - no consequences as the executive board councillors or even just the leader told us to do it.</div>
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Apparently Council Chief Executive Wendy Walters is said to have seen "the letter" and said it was "strongly worded." Of course that "letter" may well not even refer to Trisha's case and as it is "privileged" she cannot discuss it. Is it a clever forgery,or a letter in vague and general terms only, and even if so, why bully the Plaid Executive Board into silence using it but declining to show what it says?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6avu08Ply6jFiOKR1OeH0mIUZqgXI0Xwqz1l6qLf4klxKgCmj_2XkZq-jJ6GgZtY118KQ6fyI6WPWiSrGlTjn60BS38qhyTS9xW0v0LO-K_K0Iaosh94BTr8VoIPzla_-FgNAikhnT9Pf/s1600/emlyn+dole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6avu08Ply6jFiOKR1OeH0mIUZqgXI0Xwqz1l6qLf4klxKgCmj_2XkZq-jJ6GgZtY118KQ6fyI6WPWiSrGlTjn60BS38qhyTS9xW0v0LO-K_K0Iaosh94BTr8VoIPzla_-FgNAikhnT9Pf/s1600/emlyn+dole.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Reverend Emlyn Dole, Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council.</td></tr>
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WHAT HAPPENS NOW TO EMLYN DOLE?</div>
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Rumour has it that several members of the Plaid Executive Board were not pleased by these events, Neither the failings of the Council in not protecting Trisha from a violent and disruptive neighbour;s actions nor the reluctance to finally put the matter "to bed" via an ex gratia payment. One reason why they do not displace the Reverend Dole may be that no-one wants the job.The remuneration for the Leader of Council is around £50,000 with expenses, but even that is obviously not temptation enough to take this particular job.</div>
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DID EMLYN READ THE NOLAN PRINCIPLES BEFORE HE SIGNED UP TO THEM?</div>
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Emlyn seems to have ignored some of the 7 Nolan Principles of Public life that all elected councillors promise to uphold, signing their documents of acceptance of election,. Maybe he should refresh his memory?</div>
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they are:<b> honesty,accountability, leadership,transparency, objectivity,openness and selflessness </b></div>
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WHERE DOES EMLYN GO FROM HERE?</div>
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If the Plaid Councillors in the County Council are reluctant to change their leader, and if Plaid Cymru the Party of Wales, are unable even to arrange a meeting with him to discuss his actions, Emlyn Dole is likely to remain in post and continue to collect his salary.</div>
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He could certainly follow the orders/advice of the senior council officers and refuse to give an ex gratia payment to Mrs Breckman. He may well prefer to believe that a letter exists, which he is not allowed to read, specifically forbidding any ex gratia payments to be made, despite Zurich's denial. He would continue silencing every Plaid Councillor from mentioning Mrs Breckman's case as it could surely lead to the Council's insurance being cancelled completely, despite Zurich's claims to the contrary Who should he believe? A big insurance company or a group of Senior Council Officers who won't even trust him by showing him the letter? Better the devil you know and fear deep enough to abandon the humanity you once had?</div>
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There appears to be little compassion in the Plaid Group for Mrs Breckman and her partner who have suffered for the last 16 years because a County Council could not deal with her bullying neighbours. Unable to run the cattery when her access road was blocked by her neighbours and failing to get the Council to move the Lorry containers blocking light coming into her windows, or stop the unlawful haulage and quarrying, her savings are gone and her hopes of a productive life in retirement as well. In fact the Council dealt with the situation in part by blaming the elderly couple who chose to move to Carmarthenshire, even getting Trisha arrested by the police. Its not fair. Its time for someone to step up and stop the circus. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Siân Caiach </span></div>
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People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-71099966286868707712019-12-02T09:38:00.003+00:002019-12-22T18:42:13.896+00:00 Does Plaid Cymru plan to rule Wales like their Councillors rule Carmarthenshire, I hope not ..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">EMLYN DOLE TRIES TO REINSTATE "UNLAWFUL" FUNDING OF COUNCIL LIBEL ACTIONS</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Carmarthenshire County Council is infamous for its Chief Executive taking the Blogger Jacqui Thompson to court for libel after she allegedly described their Chief Executive Mark James, as"Pinocchio" After a costly court case in London where the Council spent a 6 figure sum (our money) in a civil case defending the integrity of not only the Council, but of CEO, Mr Mark James, who also won crippling damages from Mrs Thompson. All approved by senior Councillors keen to stop criticism of the Council. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Although he had claimed to the County Council Executive Councillors that he would return any damages to the council, Mr James instead pursued Mrs Thompson himself for the money with the threat of forcing the sale of the family bungalow to pay these damages. She is still paying him instalments and If she misses a payment her home could still be lost to Mr James.. The money she pays him, he promised to the Council, but he is pocketing the lot., Not a murmur from the Plaid Councillors who run the County Council who were clearly happy for him to get extra cash. But the Council had been forced to shelve their policy of paying out public money to defend their senior officers - the Plaid Councillors apparently did not like that! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacqui Thompson</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Plaid council Leader Emlyn Dole and his merry band of Plaid Executive board members have subsequently tried to reinstall the policy of funding Council Officers and allow them to take out legal actions against members of the Public using Council funds. The Welsh Audit office has already ruled this as "unlawful" but Mark James, unlike the chief executive of Pembrokeshire Council, Bryn Parry Jones, who similarly misused public funds and was asked to pay them back, Mr Mark James did not have the unlawful monies removed form his generous retirement lump sum. Emlyin Dole decided to let him keep all the money Mr James had been given, eve though it was ruled unlawful and could have been repaid.He had been given legal fees and a secret pay rise unlawfully. Why Mr James was not asked to return the money by council leader Emlyn Dole is not known.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Far from giving up on subsidising senior Council officers to take court cases against members of the public,the Plaid Executive Councillors earlier this year instructed their chief legal office, Linda Rees Jones, to ask the Auditor General at the Senedd to reconsider and again allow Carmarthenshire Councillors to fund senior Council officers in personal libel actions against local residents from the public purse. This is not a well publicised Plaid policy but clearly popular with current Plaid councillors.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This is the Auditor General's reply sent to Linda Rees Jones, Head of the Carmarthenshire legal department, on the 10th May 2019:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"<i>Thank you for your letter of 28th March 2019 in which you ask whether I accept that it is open to local authorities to indemnify their officers to bring defamation proceedings.</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>"I have reviewed all of the material that you presented and, in addition, taken fresh independent legal advice of my own. After careful consideration of this body of material, I find the legal argument previously described by [redacted] the more convincing. I remain of the opinion, therefore, that it is unlawful for a local authority to indemnify their officers to bring defamation proceedings.</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>"While I will consider any situation on the facts, I am mindful of the power provided to me by section 36 of the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004 to make a claim for judicial review in respect of decisions that would have an effect on the body's accounts. If the council departs from its previous decision to remove provision for indemnity for defamation proceedings, I request that the Council gives me at least 21 days' notice of any proposal to consider granting an indemnity to a member or officer to bring an action for defamation</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Yours sincerely</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Adrian Crompton</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Auditor General for Wales</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My Personal Translation : "I don't think this is legal and if you Councillors are going to try this on again I want at least 21 days notice so I can deal with you thoroughly before you finance a court case unlawfully again".</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It is disturbing that Council Leader Emlyn Dole approved that the Council should reinstate this libel clause into the council's constitution. Since the whole purpose of taking residents to court in libel actions using the public's own money is to discourage open dissent with the actions of senior officers, all of whom act with the consent and under the instruction of the Executive Councillors. Carmarthenshire has had a Plaid Cymru Administration.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> The policy of bankrupting the critics has had the added bonus, as we've seen, of the officers also winning damages from the original complainant which not only financially cripples the resident but add to the bounty of the senior officer, most of whom have generous 6 figure salaries already. It also discourages criticism of the Councillors themselves.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">I personally was a County councillor for nine years in Carmarthenshire, my observation was that many Councillors were easily manipulated and I suspected sometimes deliberately mislead by officers who were used to "ruling the roost " without much input from the elected members. However, the practice of financing libel cases has not been the only scandalous case. There is one apalling case which stands out in that it is a clear injustice, has caused one couple massive distress and financial ruin and the problems are becoming chronic, needs to be resolved, and not swept under the notoriously lumpy carpets of county Hall!.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">THE CASE THAT SHOCKS ADAM PRICE. {scroll down for updates}</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">But the Plaid "controlled" County Council does nothing.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b>"INDEED, I WOULD GO SO FAR AS SAYING THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST CASES OF NONFEASANCE, THE NEGLECT OF A PUBLIC BODY TO CARRY OUT ITS BASIC DUTIES, THAT I HAVE SEEN DURING MY TIME IN PUBLIC LIFE.</b>" </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">ADAM PRICE . LEADER OF PLAID CYMRU , writing in support of his constituent Patrica Breckman and describing his opinion of her case</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Of Course, it is, in theory, the Councillors who run the Council but this case makes a mockery of justice and fair play in Carmarthenshire , The case of Patricia Breckman and her Partner. This case has been described on local TV programs, local newspapers and is one of an elderly couple who retired locally and bought a cottage with the intention of opening a cattery. They soon discovered that their neighbours at Blaenpant Farm were very hostile and that council enforcement officers appeared fearful of actually enforcing planning regulations, presumably due to the hostility of the neighbours.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZt6ZdzUB2HEsq883i-Axumqyn6IUUv8COCdKUs0U-7Uatnx-BTNbPB6-_MebILL29fW9ijwG4miDY6dLlLBf6VDDblPXEgr_cVkT2NXXWL7t2KN5p6czmyYMszm83peS7G2Cls2mGf3nd/s1600/20180327_171505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZt6ZdzUB2HEsq883i-Axumqyn6IUUv8COCdKUs0U-7Uatnx-BTNbPB6-_MebILL29fW9ijwG4miDY6dLlLBf6VDDblPXEgr_cVkT2NXXWL7t2KN5p6czmyYMszm83peS7G2Cls2mGf3nd/s320/20180327_171505.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Patricia Breckman </span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It is Mrs Brekman who bore the brunt of the consequences of her neighbours actions. The County Council was clearly negligent but has escaped Scott free. Emlyn Dole, council leader has invited her to take the Council to court if she is still dissatisfied. Like most of us, Tricia does not have the tens of thousands of pounds that the Council has access to, which they will doubtless use to fight any claim she makes. In fact Emlyn Dole knows she is severely impoverished by not being able to set up her cattery and having to deal with an aggressive and vindictive neighbour running an unlawful business next door without council permission. Her home is close to repossession by her mortgage provider.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">More than this, I am told Emlyn Dole has presented to the Plaid Group Councillors an instruction that they cannot even discuss Mrs Breckman's Case, in public or even amongst themselves.. Linda Rees Jones, Head of Legal for the Council, says she has a letter from the County Council's insurers, Zurich, warning her that if any Plaid councillor even discusses the case verbally, the County council will lose all of their liability insurance cover.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This letter has never been seen, apparently, by the Plaid Councillors, and seems a bit harsh, or could it be just a hoax to frighten them into compliance?. <b>Emlyn, if Linda's letter actually exists let us all see it, please!</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Council Leader Emlyn Dole seems to have agreed initially, at the suggestion of the previous Council Chief Executive, Mark James to close the issue with an Ex Gratia payment without admission of liability, to compensate Mrs Breckman and her Partner for the financial damage cause by the Council's inaction. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> Now Emlyn Dole himself with the support of the new Chief Executive, Wendy Walters, has decided against this. It seems that even mentioning such an Ex Gratia payment would also invalidate the council's entire liability Insurance with Zurich. Again, I can't find any actual evidence validating that the insurer has instructed the council to act in this way. Many suspect the Council Civil Servants run the show in Carmarthenshire but it actually seems Zurich Insurance are in charge, and can silence our elected members. Allegedly Zurich are threatening to withdraw all the council's insurance if the County Councillors even mention Tricia and Eddie's predicament!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Cllr Emlyn Dole has also agreed to meetings with Tricia's local MP Jonathan Edwards and her AM Adam Price only to cancel them. He also has agreed to a review of her case, and then cancelled that.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> I believe that both Adam and Jonathan have probably done their best but are powerless to protect their constituents from falling foul of the supposedly Plaid led County Council as the Plaid Councillors have decided for whatever reason, to act disgracefully against Tricia and her partner Eddie.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">.Emlyn is a clergyman and possibly ill equipped to deal with Council Officers who may be economical with the truth. But if your Party run a County Council, and Plaid fought long and hard for years to get "control" of Carmarthenshire County Council, you should act with integrity, decency and compassion and hopefully be better than those who came before. Not this group of Plaid councillors, who seem to have "gone rouge" and have decided to ignore senior figures in their own Party, including its leader.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Throughout the public services there is too much " cover up" and very little in the way of apologies. There is little justice if people are advised to get their own redress for Council failings by self financing civil cases against local authorities who go to great lengths to hide their mistakes. Abandoned by those they voted to represent them!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The excuse that Carmarthenshire County Council is an "Officer led" Council holds no water. I'm told that unlike her predecessor Wendy Walters is careful to ask the Council Leader for specific support for Council Decisions, as she should. Is Emlyn Dole so used to agreeing with the previous chief executive that he cannot say no? Or too frightened to admit what he has done? I have heard a rumour that the Plaid Councillors actually want Emlyn to step down but none are willing to take over the poison chalice of Council Leader. Stalemate.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">In a letter in September 2019 to his Party Leader explaining his failure to commission a review into Tricia's case (his explanation is that any review of the case will also totally invalidate the insurance of the council by Zurich) Emlyn touchingly begs Adam Price to confirm and acknowledge Emlyn's integrity.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Emlyn writes "In your letter of 6th august you kindly assured me that you disassociated yourself from any comments that have been made publicly about my integrity in relation to this matter (Tricia's Case) and I hope that you still acknowledge my integrity despite my having to step down from commissioning the review."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5yUn71lekN5fbnTSgMsDhi78QMte5ozKyPBNSUn1hZnpGAaEZbzEPuF0kW6ZLEnTN3y7W5dBJewQK8lGPaA0G1ePP4fMexZTdL1yZC9PIxf6DSNgOkJrntLe7qeceNozMp1ZdvqZjMY-/s1600/Screen-Shot-2016-05-05-at-13.43.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="368" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5yUn71lekN5fbnTSgMsDhi78QMte5ozKyPBNSUn1hZnpGAaEZbzEPuF0kW6ZLEnTN3y7W5dBJewQK8lGPaA0G1ePP4fMexZTdL1yZC9PIxf6DSNgOkJrntLe7qeceNozMp1ZdvqZjMY-/s320/Screen-Shot-2016-05-05-at-13.43.58.png" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cllr. Emlyn Dole, Plaid Cymru,, Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">In these words Councillor Emlyn Dole suggests he has a personal assurance from Adam Price that Adam will not endorse or verify any criticism of Emlyn related to Tricia Breckman's case. He asks that this arrangement continues even though he has failed to commission a review of Tricia's case previously promised to Adam Price, Tricia's Assembly Member and Emlyn's party leader.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">In other words, as I see it, Councillor Emlyn Dole expects Adam Price to cover up for him and not support Tricia, his own constituent, if any statement about her case negatively effects Emlyn's integrity.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">May I remind you all of Adam Price' words -</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"> <b>"INDEED, I WOULD GO SO FAR AS SAYING THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST CASES OF NONFEASANCE, THE NEGLECT OF A PUBLIC BODY TO CARRY OUT ITS BASIC DUTIES THAT I HAVE SEEN DURING MY TIME IN PUBLIC LIFE." </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Adam has also stated in correspondence to Carmarthenshire Council </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"<b>you are indubitably responsible</b>". </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I believe that Adam Price fully understands what has been going on but is torn because the issue cannot be resolved by his fellow Plaid Cymru Council members who are actually in charge of the Council, but clearly dancing to a different tune, avoiding, rather than addressing the issue. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgj6LN23gG0QlZLETepemQy3TI9LalFbpM8v2JSldNalLxVSXCOAPhujvjixvb2DGSq8pvyY1zNii1OQENycN0eCfpgog0PDbnXU2cPaXNdW7pyC5eT2rV7Aviny6HGdYmSRZzaLzM7AOi/s1600/Adam_Price_2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="580" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgj6LN23gG0QlZLETepemQy3TI9LalFbpM8v2JSldNalLxVSXCOAPhujvjixvb2DGSq8pvyY1zNii1OQENycN0eCfpgog0PDbnXU2cPaXNdW7pyC5eT2rV7Aviny6HGdYmSRZzaLzM7AOi/s320/Adam_Price_2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam Price, local Assembly Member and Leader of Plaid Cymru</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Adam Price, you could be our first minister in May 2021. Please show us that you can persuade your fellow party members in Carmarthenshire County Council to treat this couple decently. They moved here to Wales in good faith to live and work and add to our economy. Because of appalling failings in our local Council of which you are well aware, they have lost their life savings and now face losing their home. They have nothing wrong. They need kindness and justice, not continued persecution facilitated by your own councillors. please act now. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As First Minister of Wales, you will have tougher nuts to crack than a dysfunctional Plaid Cymru County Council Executive Board being bullied into inaction. Show us you mettle and get this sorted.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Siân Caiach</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Extra Information : available on request</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">There is a full summary by the Breckman's own County councillor. It was written to byCllr Cefin Campbell to Cllr Emlyn Dole and his deputy Cllr Mair Stephens They have decided to ingnore it.. It is very detailed, 4 pages long and summarises the awful experience of this elderly couple who have had their lives blighted by the neglect of duty of those who should have protected them. I'm happy to copy it to anyone who wishes to study the whole story.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Please contact me by email: sian.caiach@gmail.com if you wish a copy forwarded to you.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>UPDATE 11.12.19</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Patricia Breckman tells me that she has been in contact with Zurich insurance concerning the letter which is said to be privileged, and was sent from them to Carmarthenshire County Council's Head of Legal Linda Rees Jones. Zurich assures Mrs Breckman that the letter does not refer to her personally or her case and contains only general advice to the Council itself.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b> It seems unlikely therefore, that there is any reason for Mrs Rees Jones to forbid senior councillors to have sight of the letter or indeed to forbid them to discuss the case. If Mrs Breckman or her issues are not even mentioned in the letter, how an earth does it matter to Zurich that anyone speaks her name or mentions the case? I suspect some deception or misdirection in Mrs Rees Jones' instruction to the councillors here!!</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>UPDATE 17.12,19`</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>Correspondence</b></span><b> with Carmarthenshire County Council CEO and Reply from "Legal Linda", the long serving Head of Legal Services in County Hall, deeply implicated in this matter as far as I can see and very desperate to not show anyone the letter from Zurich Insurance. Emlyn's current ploy seems to be to "up the value" of the Ex Gratia payment to put off his fellow Councillors.</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Letter from Patricia Breckman to Carmarthenshire Council CEO Wendy
Walters</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
17<sup>th</sup>
December 2019</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">Dear Ms Walters</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">It has been brought to my
attention again, that officers within this authority, advise members
who remind this council of it's moral obligations to us that I have
asked for £1,000,000. The amount appears to increase
each time my name is mentioned as it has now been suggested I have
asked for £1.5 million! It is preposterous and another
blatant falsehood.</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">Not only is it illogical, but
that anyone should actually believe it insults their own
intelligence. There have been many false accusations against
myself over the years, for reasons that are clearly obvious, as it is
so easy for the many, behind closed doors, to discredit someone who
has no recourse to respond. Most senior officers and members
are aware of our case and these despicable falsehoods should cease.
It is totally unacceptable. We still pay our council tax
to Carmarthen council who have destroyed our lives and rendered our
home unsaleable, leaving us with debt, not of our making, which we
cannot fund and will be facing repossession in the New Year.
It was always obvious to officers of this council over these sixteen
years that their extremely serious wilful failures would render our
home unsaleable.</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">This is the most shocking
conduct yet.</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">I have firm evidence that both
Ms Jones and Cllr Dole conspired to lie to members on the 7th.
October meeting. I was hoping along with most Carmarthenshire
taxpayers this deceitful reprehensible culture was going to end with
the now infamous Mark James retiring.</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;"><i>Ms Jones should be suspended
from her post along with Cllr Dole pending investigations. How
much more destruction to our lives is going to be accepted/ignored
before any action is taken. It could well be a police
matter.</i></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">As a humanity issue alone, this
council should be talking with us with a view to resolving our dire
situation which we played no part in. Without a doubt, we
deserve recompense for the damage to our entire retirement years with
open and honest discussion. When damage is caused it must be
addressed.</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">There is no more denying this
council has destroyed us, our retirement years, and all peaceful
enjoyment of our home.</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">Please can we now hear no more
of Mrs Breckman demanding over 1 million pounds? Our debt,
which is of this council's making is roughly £80.000 + legal fees
which we would never have been embroiled in had it not been for this
councils neglect of duty.</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">Yours sincerely</span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, Georgia, serif;">Mrs Breckman</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Followed by a
rapid reply from Carms County Council Head of Legal, Linda Rees
Jones, demanding that Mrs Breckman names the “snitch” who has
clearly attended Plaid Cymru councillor meetings and told a local
resident what went on…. </i>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Interesting that there is no denial of the apparent inflation of the proposed ex gratia payment in information to the Councillors. The letter which Ms Jones claims shows that Zurich will withdraw all liability insurance from the Council if they make a self-funded ex gratia payment with no acceptance of liability and usual legal agreements agreeing final settlement, is still to remain secret, even though the alleged content is disputed by Zurich</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
17.12.19</div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
<span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Dear
Mrs. Breckman,</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">First
of all, I have not attempted to “intervene” in your matter at
all; I merely attended a meeting of the Plaid Group which I was asked
to attend.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
would appear that someone who was present at that meeting is intent
on attributing statements to me in relation to Zurich which I did not
make – who told you this please ?</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In
so far as the Insurer’s letter is concerned, it is privileged.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Yours
faithfully,</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #2f5597;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Linda
Rees-Jones</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #2f5597;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Pennaeth
Gweinyddiaeth a’r Gyfraith / Head of Administration & Law</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #2f5597;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">&
Swyddog Monitro
& Monitoring Officer</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #2f5597;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Cyngor
Sir Gaerfyrddin
Carmarthenshire
County Council</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
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People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-84305917023436573802019-11-07T23:03:00.001+00:002019-11-08T09:57:44.154+00:00Gambling with political integrity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Four Forsaken – the constituencies who Plaid sold out.</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63nMlXH_IrRQlhVNnN7GALgMT6T-NJFJNyT6qxd2YpZ32X03VXnQ2mrR5jKy7uvF3BvpeQt-MAb4hCBDewI88rUBg9yUv20o_IHBcIGoQKfHeJUQMKInoageRPCdH2W8kYt3YFFIQatFS/s1600/DSC00007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63nMlXH_IrRQlhVNnN7GALgMT6T-NJFJNyT6qxd2YpZ32X03VXnQ2mrR5jKy7uvF3BvpeQt-MAb4hCBDewI88rUBg9yUv20o_IHBcIGoQKfHeJUQMKInoageRPCdH2W8kYt3YFFIQatFS/s320/DSC00007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Plaid's European Parliament Group</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Plaid's Cymru's policy is to stay in the European Union. Plaid Cymru has one member of the European Parliament and is in a group which includes a number of parties seeking autonomy or Independence including the Scottish Nationalist Party. The Greens also in this group .The Liberal Democrats are in the Renew Europe Group, a centrist group for Liberals and Conservative Liberals.<br />
<br />
<b>The plan to remain - the Constituencies where Plaid stands down for Liberal Democrats and Greens</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Plaid have decided to stand down as part of the Unite to Remain Alliance in 4 Welsh seats. The idea came from the Brecon and Radnorshire By-Election which Plaid also dropped out of, However, it was the Brexit Party standing which split the Tory vote and probably let the Liberal Democrats win</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Vale of Glamorgan</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2016 voted Remain</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2017 General
Election</div>
<table cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" style="background: transparent; width: 373px;">
<colgroup><col width="129"></col>
<col width="19"></col>
<col width="31"></col>
<col width="37"></col>
<col width="58"></col>
</colgroup><thead>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="129"><div align="left">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Candidate</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Party</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Votes</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Vote
(%)</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Change
(%)</b></span></span></div>
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="129"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Alun Cairns</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #0000ff; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Con</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>25,501</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>47.5</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1.4</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="129"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Camilla Beaven</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #ff0000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lab</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>23,311</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>43.4</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>10.8</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="129"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ian Johnson *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #3f8428; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">PC</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2,295</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>4.3</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-1.3</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="129"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jennifer Geroni *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #ffcc00; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">LD</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1,020</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1.9</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-0.7</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="129"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Melanie Hunter-Clarke *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #b3009d; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">UKIP</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>868</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1.6</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-9.1</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="129"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Stephen Davis-Barker *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #008000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Green</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>419</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>0.8</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-1.3</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="129"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sharon Lovell *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #808080; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">WEP</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>177</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>0.3</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>0.3</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="129"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">David Elston *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #808080; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pirate</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>127</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>0.2</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>0.2</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<span style="color: #777777; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">*
Candidate lost their deposit</span>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
This is a narrow
Conservative/Labour marginal where in 2017 Plaid came 3<sup>rd</sup>
with only 4.3% of the vote. Adding together the Green LD and Plaid
votes they total only 7% of that vote on the day, all 3 candidates
lost their deposit.Little chance of Greens winning, you might think. Are they just there to give them credibility in the Welsh Remain Alliance??</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Cardiff Central</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2016 voted Remain.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2017 general election results</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" style="background: transparent; width: 379px;">
<colgroup><col width="134"></col>
<col width="19"></col>
<col width="31"></col>
<col width="37"></col>
<col width="58"></col>
</colgroup><thead>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="134"><div align="left">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Candidate</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Party</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Votes</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Vote
(%)</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Change
(%)</b></span></span></div>
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="134"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jo Stevens</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #ff0000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lab</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>25,193</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>62.4</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>22.4</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="134"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gregory Stafford</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #0000ff; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Con</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>7,997</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>19.8</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>5.1</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="134"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Eluned Parrott</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #ffcc00; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">LD</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>5,415</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>13.4</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-13.7</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="134"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mark Hooper *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #3f8428; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">PC</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>999</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2.5</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-2.5</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="134"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Benjamin Smith *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #008000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Green</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>420</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1.0</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-5.3</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="134"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mohammed Sarul-Islam *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #b3009d; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="19"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">UKIP</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>343</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>0.8</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-5.6</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-top: 0.13cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #777777;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*
Candidate lost their deposit</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In my day, when I
stood there for Plaid in 1987, this was a 3 way marginal but now looks a “safe”
Labour seat. Again, Pro leave alliance total take between them 21.5 % , hardly a shoo-in.
But these are weird times and anything can happen;.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Brecon and
Radnorshire</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2016 Voted Leave<br />
General election Results 2017</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span dir="ltr" id="Frame2" style="background: #ffffff; border: none; float: left; height: 0.04cm; padding: 0cm; width: 18.04cm;"></span></div>
<h3 class="western" style="border: none; line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0.4cm; margin-top: 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
</h3>
<table cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="background: transparent; width: 341px;">
<colgroup><col width="97"></col>
<col width="18"></col>
<col width="31"></col>
<col width="37"></col>
<col width="58"></col>
</colgroup><thead>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="97"><div align="left">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Candidate</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="18"><div align="left">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Party</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Votes</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Vote
(%)</b></span></span></div>
</th>
<th bgcolor="#666699" style="background: #666699;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Change
(%)</b></span></span></div>
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="97"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Chris Davies</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #0000ff; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="18"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Con</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>20,081</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>48.6</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>7.5</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="97"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">James Gibson-Watt</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #ffcc00; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="18"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">LD</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>12,043</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>29.1</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>0.8</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="97"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dan Lodge</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #ff0000; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="18"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lab</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>7,335</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>17.7</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3.0</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="97"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Kate Heneghan *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #3f8428; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="18"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">PC</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1,299</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3.1</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-1.3</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f5" style="background: #f0f0f5;">
<th style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="97"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Peter Gilbert *</span></div>
</th>
<td style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 4.50pt solid #b3009d; border-right: none; border-top: none; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.26cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;" width="18"><div align="left">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">UKIP</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="31"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>576</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="37"><div align="center">
<span style="color: #666699;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1.4</b></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; padding: 0cm;" width="58"><div align="center">
<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>-6.9</b></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div style="margin-top: 0.13cm;">
<span style="border-bottom: none; border-left: 3.00pt solid #aaaaaa; border-right: none; border-top: none; display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0.34cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background: #efefef;"><span style="color: #777777;">*
Candidate lost their deposit</span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
This was the last general election.The
2019 by-election, below, is more interesting ,as it clearly the Brexit Party,
not the withdrawal of Plaid who gifted the seat to the LD’s. As the Brexit Party is polling around the same level as in the by-election at the moment (11%) the LD's may not need any other help if they stand. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<b> 2019 By Election Results Brecon and Radnorshire</b></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<span style="color: #141414;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chris
Davies (Conservative): 12,401 (39%)</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tom
Davies (Labour): 1,680 (5.3%)</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jane
Dodds (Liberal Democrat): 13,826 (43.5%</span><span style="color: #141414; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">)</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Des
Parkinson (Brexit Party): 3,331 (10.5%)</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Liz
Phillips (Ukip): 242 (0.8%) </span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lily
the Pink (Monster Raving Loony Party): 334 (1%) </span></div>
<div style="background: #ffffff; border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 180%; margin-bottom: 0.61cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #141414;"><span style="font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Turnout:
59%.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<b>Montgomeryshire </b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
2016 voted Leave</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
2017 General Election Results</div>
<h2 class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Glyn Davies (con) 18,075 51.8%</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Jane Dodds (LibDem) 8,790 25.2%</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Iwan Jones (Labour) 5,542 15,9%</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Aled Hughes, (Plaid} 1,960 5,6%</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Richard Chaloner (Green) 524 1,5%</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
This is the only one of the seats
where Plaid saved their deposit. Even with Plaid and Green votes
going to LD’s, again they have not got enough to make a difference
to the end result. However, Glyn Davies is retiring and standing down and Jane Dodds, having won Brecon and Radnorshire, is not available as she is defending that seat. Again, the Brexit Party might save the day for the Alliance. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<b>Why did Plaid join the Alliance?</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
Presumably Plan A was to send a larger group of Plaid MP's to Westminster and to help reverse Brexit by one means or another. Although 63% of Plaid members and supporters voted remain, the result in Wales was the highest Leave percentage in the UK per head . Plaid has clearly decided to go with what its supporters believe rather than the population as a whole. Its a strategy but it could backfire.<br />
But what if it the Remain Alliance after the election is not influential enough and even frozen out? There could be another hung parliament or a pro Brexit majority. In any case the number of Alliance MPs is unlikely to make Jo Swinson Prime Minister, and the Remain Alliance could end up as the junior partner of a Corbin led coalition, or the 3rd or 4th largest political group in Parliament with Boris Johnsom still in number 10. Worse still, could the LD's back Boris if the price is right? They have form.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<b>Can Plaid increase their number of MP's and also boost Welsh Liberal democrat numbers?</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
The whole Welsh Unite to Remain project success relies on many variables. Plaid may have decided that their vote in the sacrificed seats is so low that their voters are temporarily expendable, Even if Plaid voters vote for non remain alliance parties they may well make little difference and Lord Ashcroft's polls show well over a third of Plaid voters voted Leave, so some may vote for Leave parties, and others may abstain The whole success of the scheme may rely on the Conservative vote split by the Brexit Party and the Labour Party not collecting pro Remain/Revoke votes in preference to the Liberal Democrats, despite their policy changes.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
Success for Plaid will be a couple more seats in the UK parliament, no power except in a hung parliament and even then bit part players. Failure can be blamed on many outside factors such as those above. The extra Plaid professional politicians, office staff etc are useful for publicity and patronage, but is Westminster actually worth it?<br />
<br />
<b>What could change the outlook?</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
The ultimate success may rely on whether or not a Conservative/Brexit Party informal or formal non-aggression pact emerges. The seats where the Liberal Democrats and Greens are standing aside for Plaid are not those where the LD's were likely to be successful, and where will their votes go?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
These are interesting times and no-one can predict the election result. Whether or not you can "sell" the votes of your supporters to another party in Wales, and the favour be reciprocated is another matter. This a Brexit Election, a one off gamble for the Liberal Democrats. and I doubt their sincerity. The actual results, both in votes and party credibility, have yet to be seen.<br />
<br />
<b>Long term projections?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
If all goes well will Plaid consider a longer friendship and electoral arrangements? Who knows?<br />
<br />
Will they focus entirely on Wales or continue longing for the big time with influential mates in the UK and EU?<br />
<br />
Will the Liberal Democrats be the king makers in the next Parliament or crash and burn? </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
The Brexit issue may seem all consuming now, but it is essentially. a temporary issue, probably settled one way or another within a few years and the simmering anger within UK society may chose a different target.or a different path. Wales is suffering neglect and exploitation .and will continue to do so under any regime which is not independence<br />
The world's social, economic,and political unrest topped off with a climate emergency is going nowhere. I expect a rocky road and lots more surprises. Plaid need to do more than grab the coat tails of Unionists .<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96I1oSywWdFQt0PAc-rZiUNVUIGYb92U8IkRHjL6veEV2hIg_Mo9CQV5Ow7oDtV8LmCF_KIp9FJg7QaQLwmOAlYyzrELvF7z0yw-kfQQe_VJ2RuwpwIojDHl343mxNxCqs-ufQPrPooPZ/s1600/Pembs+CC+polling+station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96I1oSywWdFQt0PAc-rZiUNVUIGYb92U8IkRHjL6veEV2hIg_Mo9CQV5Ow7oDtV8LmCF_KIp9FJg7QaQLwmOAlYyzrELvF7z0yw-kfQQe_VJ2RuwpwIojDHl343mxNxCqs-ufQPrPooPZ/s320/Pembs+CC+polling+station.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All to play for on December 12th 2019</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Siân Caiach</div>
</div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-567227382254635722019-10-08T20:55:00.001+01:002019-10-09T09:06:29.924+01:00Wales of the Future - how do you feel about Universal Citizen's Income? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wales is not a poor country, but we do have an "official" deficit which is always quoted as reason for Wales not be independent. A more prosperous Wales is probably nearer the truth. Creative accountancy by the UK does help the "deficit" - did you know that we are being charged for London's multi billion Cross Rail project, per head, on the grounds that some of us may use it in the future? We will also be billed for HS2, if it goes ahead, on the same reasoning. All western countries are in some debt </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> but it is how we share our wealth that is important.</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">HOW
TO SOLVE "CHILD" POVERTY</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">It
is chilling to see that many communities in Wales with high incidences of child poverty, including some here in Llanelli where I live. These recent figures are based on
household income. Other indicators such as free school meal uptake
also indicate many local families struggling to support their
offspring. Many people on low incomes struggle not only with poverty but with debt as well. This not fair. We need a system where all citizens have a permanent source of income to cover basis needs.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">My own political party, Gwlad
Gwlad has a radical policy to reduce poverty across Wales. Poverty in
Children is a sign of families having inadequate income. Many people
are trapped in welfare dependency, as they are often financially
“punished” by taking on a low wage job , which may actually
cause them to lose so much in benefits that they are worse off.
Poverty has many consequences including constant stress trying to
make ends meet , substandard housing, poor diet and children brought
up in a struggling household who often cannot avoid sharing the despair
and insecurity of their adult carers. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A
BASIC CITIZEN’S INCOME FOR ALL IS NEEDED</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">As the Senedd increases its powers, including tax powers, we can have real power to address poverty in Wales for the first time. Here is one idea which could work.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Our
flagship social policy is to introduce a modest Universal Citizens’ Income
for all adults over 18, This would be irrespective of whether they work or
not and paid for by general taxation. It would replace most benefits
including unemployment benefits and basic state pension. It would
mean that no one needs to be destitute. Neither would any adult have to wait for their benefits after losing a job. it would be there already.We would retain a form of
child benefit and special benefits for cases of major disability.,
etc. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">No-one
would need to fear sanctions or have their benefits reduced on
getting a job. Everyone would be assured a basic income for life
.Parents would have more choice on whether to stay home with young
children or spend their Citizen’s Income on childcare and go back
to work. Stress levels would reduce and all our children would grow
up with a degree of financial security. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Working
taxpayers would also receive Citizen’s income, but this would be
balanced by removing personal tax allowances and adjusting tax rates
to make the combination broadly tax neutral. Naturally, a welsh citizen would have to qualify by birth, or long term residence etc or we would have a huge influx of people claiming to be Welsh just to get our benefits! </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">INCREASING
THE TAX TAKE FROM THE RICH</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We
also plan to eliminate tax loop holes in high income workers and
expect from that to increase net tax collection, i.e stop the tax
evasion at the richer end of the scale. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
citizen’s income for tax payers could be regarded in practice as a
tax refund. All adults, rich or poor, would get the benefit.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Our
children all need a good standard of living, a good education and a
future as useful citizens. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">ENCOURAGING
PRIDE AND CONFIDENCE IN OUR CHILDREN</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Our children all need a good standard of living, a good education and a future as useful citizens. Pride and confidence in your nation and your national identity are positive features found in every successful country. Wales needs to teach pride in our nation, not that we are some lesser people deserving second class treatment.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Part
of our education policy is to overhaul our National Curriculum to
prioritise learning of our history, traditions and culture and
encourage confidence and pride in our children.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We
value all of the employment spectrum and will give technical and
vocational qualifications equal status to University based education.
We totally reject any distinction in status between the two. We need
people with practical hands on skills as much and sometimes more than those with academic qualifications. At the moment youngsters, many
from poorer backgrounds, are often made to feel second rate and less
useful to society and often paid minimum wage. Even a degree is no guarantee of career success, but a family who can support you today financially, means you are more likely to graduate. and with less debt and more opportunity. For the poorest, a degree may mean huge debts and personal sacrifices. A universal Citizen's income means no need for loans to cover subsistence and rent, everyone over 18 will get the same financial boost.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0F8ymZvBCLWMro_o9r_AtwOfKpSa32m2j31-1XSpXLKRSTO2UO4ycUDx8hTJ8Mi6ev-Ptn-n4c6EpAhjWfVPfj_8OL0cenu9YiQsDETTOvVlDo9WEr88-9qUKGJ9kgn6NEG_smIFOtdQR/s1600/P1000010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0F8ymZvBCLWMro_o9r_AtwOfKpSa32m2j31-1XSpXLKRSTO2UO4ycUDx8hTJ8Mi6ev-Ptn-n4c6EpAhjWfVPfj_8OL0cenu9YiQsDETTOvVlDo9WEr88-9qUKGJ9kgn6NEG_smIFOtdQR/s400/P1000010.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graduation Day at university. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">All of our children are important. We need everyone to contribute, in reality, all are vital to our productive economy. not just those with academic career paths.Many graduates end up in the
pubic sector.in wales These jobs are very necessary for quality of life in society. but a country’s income is from making, growing and selling
things. Wales needs to produce goods of all sorts and we should not waste the massive talent of our people. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">SURE
START PROGRAMMES, ARE THEY THE ANSWER?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa7QEeC04nUn7nH0oMFcVliexwCOr7m9771MLjsqV_1FSaBN7lC1dcs2ucopd87PzysuCZy3HUheEtBdVkwue7savSVsstML7Ozu2RgqSCpMYz4qgzUUe4lhLIALE4SgzenGxmE88KQiF/s1600/sure+start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa7QEeC04nUn7nH0oMFcVliexwCOr7m9771MLjsqV_1FSaBN7lC1dcs2ucopd87PzysuCZy3HUheEtBdVkwue7savSVsstML7Ozu2RgqSCpMYz4qgzUUe4lhLIALE4SgzenGxmE88KQiF/s1600/sure+start.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Children
in poverty is an emergency. We are wasting future human resources by
not supporting young families in need. Partial temporary
interventions, such as Sure Start programmes to give extra support to
the poorest children and teach parenting skills to their mothers,
often help greatly when they are very young , but they may well need
educational support given<i> throughout school,</i> to maintain this benefit. Few providers can afford this and not all children in severe poverty access the programme .</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Data
published does show that there may be health benefit in the
UK of these programmes, which usually include providing food and a
warm, dry classroom area. There may be less child hospital
admissions in these communities. Poorer children tend to have more
serious illness requiring hospital care, especially pre-school
children, where serious chest and urine infections predominate. This is all largely preventable.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Other
reports show benefits to parenting and , and better family
relationships as well as health. However , where families have
already become dysfunctional, especially those with severe poverty
and poor and insecure accommodation, improvement is less. Many local Authorities
have cut down on Sure Start programmes purely for cost reasons.
Surely we should aim to prevent the problem occurring by supporting
poorer families financially in a way where they are not singled out and
stigmatised?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Giving all families enough money to support themselves will make a big difference. Not only taking the stress off individual adults but improving family life and removing the current stigma and uncertainties of benefits.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Rather
than just treat the symptoms of child poverty, we plan to address the
major cause, the POVERTY itself,, and give all Welsh families financial security
and economic choices through a <b>B</b><b>ASIC</b><b> W</b><b>ELSH</b><b>
C</b><b>ITIZEN</b><b>’</b><b>S</b><b> I</b><b>NCOME</b><b>.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What do you think? Is this a good idea or have you a better one? Please comment. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b> Siân Caiach </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oNb_Fw3DGHpyspsk6vXlFzte3wOunb9PeZ_xHSwOwMdF604ZcJt9TjsLfLwKCfDzcM268p94BwRxfgl0Fvdiv3uCmVhLZUsHo3eEmsUF_KH2poZObk0i6iqLyjfG_ulr2SPyMBSv_-YX/s1600/Sian-Portrait-HeadAndShoulders+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oNb_Fw3DGHpyspsk6vXlFzte3wOunb9PeZ_xHSwOwMdF604ZcJt9TjsLfLwKCfDzcM268p94BwRxfgl0Fvdiv3uCmVhLZUsHo3eEmsUF_KH2poZObk0i6iqLyjfG_ulr2SPyMBSv_-YX/s200/Sian-Portrait-HeadAndShoulders+%25282%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
For more information on Gwlad Gwlad, the political wing of the Ein Gwlad movement, see https://eingwlad.wales</div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-90190120726341721462019-08-24T09:29:00.000+01:002019-08-24T09:29:14.222+01:00Where are Llanelli's reparations? We need compensation for the mismanagement of Carmarthenshire County Council<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the last 2 decades Carmarthenshire County Council has been led by senior officers and complicit county councillors who have imposed ridiculous schemes on the area, some of which continue to cause harm to the residents. The last scheme, the Wellness Development at Delta Lakes, is, at the time of writing, still under police investigation as there appears to be evidence of some fraud and bribery related to the project which failed to attract the millions in City Deal funding required to deliver the scheme.<br />
<br />
However, senior council officer Llinos Quelch has just approved planning for the whole scheme under "delegated powers", bypassing any open discussion by County Councillors on the future of the project. No doubt senior councillors and the new chief executive, Wendy Walters, will have been consulted.<br />
<br />
This decision to go ahead with the project happened on the 6th August 2019 .Unusually, no triumphant press release was evident from the Carmarthenshire Council that the multi million pound super project was apparently "back on track" and that new money has been found.<br />
<br />
Carmarthenshire's chief executive officer has retired and taken with him the "unlawful" pay increase and legal fees that the Wales Audit Office declared should never have been given to him. The Wellness project is currently under police investigation, which may also involve a former Council Leader as well as the former chief executive.<br />
<br />
But what happens to the Residents of Carmarthenshire?. County Hall has been said to have a number of spectacularly lumpy carpets where the embarrassing failures have been swept underneath. But shouldn't they now be exposed, explained and. as much as possible, put right?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJgbX-SkZe_RK8PEEQCZW3Rwc-id6j5ybrEKfc-YfuxzOyptEXovongH5A1HYJ6jxZAhmVh5Y8mSKDXcwsat-B84lUjXfH-NdudU8fNuBwfKQfOypU_GL5IUSWayBAQq55vmOZQSp2qGg/s1600/P1000028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJgbX-SkZe_RK8PEEQCZW3Rwc-id6j5ybrEKfc-YfuxzOyptEXovongH5A1HYJ6jxZAhmVh5Y8mSKDXcwsat-B84lUjXfH-NdudU8fNuBwfKQfOypU_GL5IUSWayBAQq55vmOZQSp2qGg/s320/P1000028.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Plenty of empty shops in Llanelli </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
LLANELLI HAS BEEN NEGLECTED<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Carmarthenshire's largest town, Llanelli , has been relatively neglected in recent years. The funding of the Scarlets Rugby Club and their new stadium has taken priority. A new Eastgate town centre leisure /entertainment development was not as successful as hoped, and the Wellness Development has been promising "up to 2000 new jobs" for some time but the public have never even seen the business case, so have no idea of how viable the scheme is or what these jobs are? The Council's Executive board decided not to release these details and the business plan itself may be under investigation.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoygrzSRsGIT710dkiTeqZ_Wcm9fCumk56YXkIStgRPVTC6PNuDDMggnLkakykY-kmaQNST09wHwEbPVZ79qirY-dhixDwUKhtA0V292_zXyxGBW7R7xLkJSbxfMLHM48Smnl-GnSLr66c/s1600/P1000048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoygrzSRsGIT710dkiTeqZ_Wcm9fCumk56YXkIStgRPVTC6PNuDDMggnLkakykY-kmaQNST09wHwEbPVZ79qirY-dhixDwUKhtA0V292_zXyxGBW7R7xLkJSbxfMLHM48Smnl-GnSLr66c/s320/P1000048.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A place to walk through rather than shop?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Llanelli town Centre has
been “in trouble” for some time and like many other similar
towns has become dominated by banks, food outlets and charity shops while local
small businesses have struggled. More recently established larger businesses such
as Wilkinsons and Holland and Barrett are leaving. There have been
various local initiatives which have brought flats above shops back
into use and tried to support local businesses and give temporary
free parking. This has helped in several areas but not enough to turn
around the decline.<br />
<br />
OUT OF TOWN RETAIL USED TO FUND RUGBY STADIUM</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The problems of the
town centre are exacerbated by the existence of the large out of town
retail sites at Parc Trostre and Parc Pemberton, both sites having
extensive free parking and easy road access. Also, comparatively
rents have been generally cheaper, with the offer of attractive deals
and rates for the big companies. Many major retail businesses have
relocated from Llanelli Town centre to the out of town retail parks
over the years. However, in recent years even some of these large
companies have failed to make a success of their units outside town
and some totally failed commercially and closed.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />It was clearly a
tactical mistake to expand the out of town sites but the development
of some of this area. Parc Pemberton, in the form of the sale of land to Morrison's, was also part of the plan to help finance and
build a new stadium for the Scarlets and so arguments that there was
not enough retail capacity in the area to support it without harm elsewhere
fell on deaf ears. Carmarthenshire County Councillors and their
former chief executive, Mark James, were so committed to the future
success of the Scarlets’ Rugby Club that little else mattered.
Their scheme, along with the building of Parc Y Strade Housing
Estate on a floodplain, was supposed to pay for the new Stadium and clear the Rugby Club’s debts but failed to do so The Scarlets have been unable to make a profit ever since the
move, and remain in debt years later, despite the original optimistic predictions. Full marks to Elli Councillor John Jenkins who pointed out the futility of excess retail outlets, to deaf ears in County Hall at the time. After all, Rugby Club Sponsorship was surely more important to councillors than anything else?<br />
<br />
NEW EASTGATE DEVELOPMENT COST US MILLIONS THEN GIVEN AWAY TO DEVELOPER</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The business case for the new Eastgate new town centre development was that the new theatre , hotel, cinema, restaurants and pubs would attract shoppers from the out of town shopping areas some 2 miles, away,into the town itself. They would enjoy themselves so much that they would stay and patronise the older town centre every time they shopped out of town, despite the lack of parking. Personally, after shopping out of town, I would probably go home before the ice cream melted rather than go a further 2 miles out of my way and spend an evening of culture and dining in a town , which most people can't afford anyway. The Eastgate itself was gifted by the council to the developers? why? This means we don't even own the buildings and the Council pay £250,000 per year in rent for the council offices there. The area has since been sold on to a FTSE company for £12million. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
One big obstacle to
revitalising the town centre is the lack of money in Llanelli. It is
not a prosperous enough town to support enough spending in the shops
in<b> and</b> out of town, for all of the outlets to survive. Many people would
love all of the County Council town parking to be free all the time.
The Council could also help by reducing Business Rates and Rents of
their properties. It is only right that those who caused the problem
should put it right.? Millions spent on the Scarlets failed to wipe out the club debts, and impoverished the County Council, which itself is impressively in debt.<br />
<br />
IN WHOSE INTEREST HAS THE COUNCIL BEEN ACTING? .</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
County Councils are not just for building Stadiums and giving grants and loans to privately owned rugby clubs,and giving free land and assets to developers.As well as being generous to the wealthy, they are supposed to look after the people who pay, through national and local taxation, for the Council and all its services.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I certainly agree
that although the Council would lose out on some income if parking was free.But as the
County Councillors voted to build these out of town sites, give away the Eastgate, and suck
the blood out of the remaining town centre, surely they should make amends?
Free parking every day in Llanelli Town Centre would surely give back
some advantage to our town centre!<br />
<br />
THE COUNCIL SHOULD STOP AND REFLECT BEFORE MORE SCHEMES FAIL </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And rather than continue spending on a scheme at Delta Lakes without even a business case, why not wait before they spend more millions there? .Council money is our money, from our taxes, and such a shame that our elected councillors have been encouraged to throw it away on dubious schemes. Much of it is borrowed and we residents are paying interest on it every day.<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX1ypAvD7klAcLZqREF8X8a0h-x43LqRkuoB2FzpFJKnqIF20jW2BB_64AD6WLM0oe0F53RsA-iaNxGD8ae7ec65CGJt8H9x1E5rIeMr2YLdILbMqN-5VwTskB_p1Jv_7xwi12ZN31Ja_/s1600/P1000035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOX1ypAvD7klAcLZqREF8X8a0h-x43LqRkuoB2FzpFJKnqIF20jW2BB_64AD6WLM0oe0F53RsA-iaNxGD8ae7ec65CGJt8H9x1E5rIeMr2YLdILbMqN-5VwTskB_p1Jv_7xwi12ZN31Ja_/s320/P1000035.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hollnd and Barrett store now closed in Llanelli</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Siân Caiach,</span></div>
</div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-76287882367833750632019-07-09T14:30:00.000+01:002019-07-09T14:30:08.911+01:00STOPPING THE ROT : PLAIDS ELECTORAL PACT Siân Caiach, writing as the elections co-ordinator for Gwlad.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: calibri, serif;">We now know that Plaid Cymru has decided</span><i style="font-family: calibri, serif;">
not </i><span style="font-family: calibri, serif;">to field a candidate in the Brecon and Radnor, Westminster By Election, being held on August 1st, urging their
supporters to vote instead for the Liberal Democrats. </span><br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">This state of
affairs, with Plaid withdrawing and advising its members to vote for
a Unionist Party, is not acceptable - either to ourselves or to the
many ordinary Welsh voters for which the health and independence of our nation
is their prime political desire. Plaid's Leader, Adam Price, has already stated that he is a Socialist First and Nationalist second, Now his deal with the the Liberal Democrats, His pact with a Unionist Party </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">supposedly to stop Brexit, suggests that Nationalism is now firmly in 3rd place. I'm sure that Plaid,,s Leader has weighed the pros and cons of stopping Brexit in a Country where most people voted to Leave, including 37% of his own supporters. In Adams constituency of Carmarthen East, Leave won by a good margin 53.7% vs 46.3%.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;"> The number of Plaid voters in the Brecon and Radnorshire Constituency is small, only 1,299, 3,7% of the vote in 2017. Whether the Plaid constituency party were consulted is unclear. Plaid's local following seem to have been expendable.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwjqEP7b4_HZoU3NGNHoGcEvU6MvvvaO_wVrMZKcHxeMdbB_4BVI5WHh65wKahoudEQhIsfPf5yoQg0HoxDCA5NIRxcvHSKB-zDAICap79qy_gE0Fa6ZOqNifOBxVk6-IXLb98XbRR7F9/s1600/Adam_Price_2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="580" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwjqEP7b4_HZoU3NGNHoGcEvU6MvvvaO_wVrMZKcHxeMdbB_4BVI5WHh65wKahoudEQhIsfPf5yoQg0HoxDCA5NIRxcvHSKB-zDAICap79qy_gE0Fa6ZOqNifOBxVk6-IXLb98XbRR7F9/s320/Adam_Price_2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;"> Adam Price, Plaid's leader. A Remainer, a socialist and Nationalist </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">Whether the E.U. or the Lib Dems have promised any goodies to Plaid is unknown.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">Our
current Gwlad Gwlad policy is to not stand in Westminster elections, but had we
known that this was about to happen in Brecon and Radnorshire then we
would have gladly put our hat in the ring to represent the Welsh
patriots in that area, in Plaid Cymru’s absence. We will not allow, in future. Plaid to unilaterally withdraw from seats in this way, leaving no Nationalist candidate to vote for.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">Nevertheless,
their decision was announced last minute and therefore even if we had
wished to stand, it would have been impossible to do so with no time
for formal candidate selection and submission of the application. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">In
order that this never happens again we will look again at our policy
to not stand for Westminster seats, and may well decide to stand in every
parliamentary by-election in Wales in the near future to prevent
similar events. We are determined that voters who wish to express
their support for a pro-independence party shall not be denied the
opportunity to do so. I doubt that Plaid will wish to gift Gwlad the votes of their members who cannot stomach voting Liberal Democrat.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">Our
steering committee, which holds executive power over policy will meet
in Llanelli on August 3rd to make a formal decision on the matter. It is expected the policy of not standing for Westminster seats will be revised, We will
not allow the people of Wales to be denied their democratic right to
vote for a Welsh Nationalist Party.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;">The Monster Raving Loony Party is standing in Brecon and Radnorshire in the guise of Lady Lilly the Pink. The Party of Wales is not.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwQNLuRbBD4oHBKQDIW6ZNhUAfdk_WLi64dpPawKrj39TI8f9FqJD-ItFC1u5B9773IVvDQPyW1L2wX-TssFwDguhR2t80f4eS1_0UkshZHnNzfsJvE5x79wsXyc6cIkG-ussUIQ4A0kp/s1600/Radnorshire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="570" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwQNLuRbBD4oHBKQDIW6ZNhUAfdk_WLi64dpPawKrj39TI8f9FqJD-ItFC1u5B9773IVvDQPyW1L2wX-TssFwDguhR2t80f4eS1_0UkshZHnNzfsJvE5x79wsXyc6cIkG-ussUIQ4A0kp/s320/Radnorshire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
GWLAD, GWLAD was officially registered as a new political party for <br />
Wales with the Electoral Commission earlier this year.<br />
It is an umbrella group for all Welsh Nationalists favouring Independence.<br />
<br />
Although the party has not adopted a Brexit policy as such, they believe that 'the Welsh vote in 2016 should be respected.<br />
<br />
Gwlad policies include a Basic Welsh Citizens Income, Fairer and simpler taxation, Expansion of Welsh Language Education, the preservation of our traditional landscapes, favouring offshore rather than onshore wind power, and the creation of transport infrastructure to make North-South Links in Wales'a reality.<br />
<br />
Siân Caiach, .<br />
<br /></div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-52888509119311586802019-06-23T18:21:00.002+01:002019-06-24T12:38:43.170+01:00Is it still necessary to feed NHS doctors a Private diet of Gold?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPZkGpDKhYgLtpv8ooalX0JtWddmic7JeZ1oGcj2RVRMeRt9Oid_MeG4NjTrhJqyNlc2fWolpWwR0JjRAerzSS4BgCAB3gsdRMMsJE-mCrhKh3vy02kLqI6VXLDyLVZaTg9WAVM8glL8o/s1600/Aneurin+Bevan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="192" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPZkGpDKhYgLtpv8ooalX0JtWddmic7JeZ1oGcj2RVRMeRt9Oid_MeG4NjTrhJqyNlc2fWolpWwR0JjRAerzSS4BgCAB3gsdRMMsJE-mCrhKh3vy02kLqI6VXLDyLVZaTg9WAVM8glL8o/s400/Aneurin+Bevan.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aneurin Bevan Pic. Wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The
NHS was set up largely from a solely private health service, and needed to recruit many private doctors and did so. The NHS still
encourages private medicine and private provision.today Some private
services used by the NHS today such as contract cleaners and groundsmen may not worry us,
but others should. Greed is great incentive, especially when a system feeds you "easy money".<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Aneurin Bevan set up the NHS in 1948 after demands for reform and contributions from other politicians. It was to be a single tier system, providing adequate health care for all, and free at the point of delivery.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When
the NHS was set up doctors were allowed and encouraged to see patients privately as
well as being given generous NHS salaries. This was to get them all on side and persuade them they would not lose out financially.<br />
<br />
The “stuff their mouths with gold”
strategy as it was known is, I believe, now destroying parts of the NHS as there is a perverse incentive to encourage private practice, theoretically leaving private practitioners free to engineer longer waiting lists to encourage business and also to use the NHS to "fish for patients" eg. by advising them that they may only get timely treatment if they pay extra for it. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> When I was a young doctor in the 1980s Consultants who
worked privately were paid 1/11 th less than full time consultants, often abandoning their private work for the 2 years before they
retired to get a full final salary pension, many then continuing private work in retirement. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Nowadays newer staff contracts give private senior doctors working in the NHS a full NHS salary and no deductions for
working privately.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"> I lost my own career some years ago for
objecting to my private colleagues using NHS time and facilities for free to treat
private patients at Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, all approved by the
management. I thought it was appalling, especially when my own urgent
patients were discharged home before getting their operations, to make way for those paying privately who mostly had waited a very short time and had less serious conditions.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"> Ironically their
private treatment was then subsidised further by the NHS management who
provided the consultants with free use of hospital facilities and
equipment for their private patients. I suspect the private patients did not get this discount and paid the market price for their operations, further packing the wallets of my colleagues. Of course not all doctors work privately but in some branches of medicine such as Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, General Surgery and Anaesthetics, participation in the private sector is very common. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I
fear sometimes that little has changed since I was forced out of my job following my whistle blowing and I wonder about
the supposed core promise of the NHS “free at the point of
delivery”. I think that is much more important than the "stuff their mouths with gold" principle, necessary to bribe the medical profession in 1948 but really? Do we still need to bribe very well paid public sector workers ?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A
while back a friend asked me to “take a look” at her elderly dad who had
had a knee replacement some years before and now was in terrible
pain. I did not have his medical records but could see that the knee
replacement he had was not functioning properly at all. I advised him
to seek help from the local orthopaedic department who did the
operation, but he has been continually “fobbed off” and nothing
was done to actually solve the problem of his malfunctioning and painful knee joint.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ATCWDbtRZPkhi4kt7JdTbnx7RfeSYFbD1bteQLXJwHTPDgQcIaRnWp17hs8ETrvV-H7PbbdU8YkeQDqrgbp45USh6AI1XBz-Pxzy7DRgm4PmmUpzdqS-sCEuohcRTviUuMz3DpclDwZP/s1600/gold+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="121" data-original-width="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ATCWDbtRZPkhi4kt7JdTbnx7RfeSYFbD1bteQLXJwHTPDgQcIaRnWp17hs8ETrvV-H7PbbdU8YkeQDqrgbp45USh6AI1XBz-Pxzy7DRgm4PmmUpzdqS-sCEuohcRTviUuMz3DpclDwZP/s1600/gold+image.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Recently
he turned to the private sector in desperation. He saw a new
consultant surgeon, who he tells me, looked at his knee and medical
records and declared that the “wrong type” of knee replacement
was put in originally and he needed this worn out joint removed and a
complete new artificial joint put in . It would cost him £20,000. </span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“<span style="font-size: small;">I
don’t have £20,000” said the man. “Well, you can borrow it”,
said the surgeon. The gentleman indicated the pile of notes he had
put on the table for the consultation, £180.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> “I had to borrow all
of that to see you today.” he said The surgeon took £40 off the pile and
handed it back to him. A small discount, but no resolution to his
problems of pain and mobility.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
NHS has failed this man by not treating him for his serious and life changing problem . For him
there was no “delivery” of the proper treatment the NHS should be
giving him and as he can’t afford private surgery. His only options
currently are to put up with his pain and discomfort for good or go back yet
again to the hospital doctors who have so far failed to offer him
curative treatment. in the hope they will eventually offer him the operation he needs on the NHS.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgja7mN2ADbqkKg3wROdn_di_qyW5832qcUbThYZsrjBGmy9lLfzE18SNW5jwEksA9eoLJcyc_L_hVChXCO_ZW1IumDBMuewsZyNVjQlDETvC9q5_TLvRicyV4dA9u2aNLgcaCz7ZLzxVCD/s1600/gold+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="335" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgja7mN2ADbqkKg3wROdn_di_qyW5832qcUbThYZsrjBGmy9lLfzE18SNW5jwEksA9eoLJcyc_L_hVChXCO_ZW1IumDBMuewsZyNVjQlDETvC9q5_TLvRicyV4dA9u2aNLgcaCz7ZLzxVCD/s320/gold+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now
that is surely not what Aneurin Bevan had in mind? The NHS is a mature and much loved organisation. Its time to change the diet of private practitioners from public funding support to healthy independence. Surely all private practice can be housed in private hospitals and clinics and doctors paid by the NHS only for NHS sessions actually worked? </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Dr Siân Caiach. </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-22960257990447605682019-06-05T20:16:00.001+01:002019-06-05T20:21:35.114+01:00Strategies For Welsh Independence. How Do We Get There?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">It is difficult to follow the path when our Nation's Party and its supposedly Pro Independence stance seem to regularly U turn and lose sight of the destination,</span><br />
<div>
</div>
<h1 class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: black;">No
Clear Strategy</span></b></span></span></span></h1>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Political
strategies for Welsh Independence have varied over time. Our country
was conquered by its neighbour, England, in </span><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;">medieval</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> times and
although it has kept a fair amount of its culture and identity, no recent clear strategy for getting back national freedom has emerged other
than trying to follow the Scottish example, yet to be fulfilled.</span></span></span></span></div>
<h2 class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; margin-top: 0.53cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: black;">Muddied
Waters & the Dreaded ‘I’ Word</span></b></span></span></span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-M5zjWYEAo5IIF_3E4k3k2GOmpFHR0m-PrM50fBeJQNMSYs3xY8PcbWFK6hyphenhyphen-Q6pKWiCYdqtNU2XjBOjL3bzET0TQFc5ffheZ6ECgCtt82sYcdZn8Pg3im6E8W2lKQMv8zJMZT6E4-2ho/s1600/DSCN0193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-M5zjWYEAo5IIF_3E4k3k2GOmpFHR0m-PrM50fBeJQNMSYs3xY8PcbWFK6hyphenhyphen-Q6pKWiCYdqtNU2XjBOjL3bzET0TQFc5ffheZ6ECgCtt82sYcdZn8Pg3im6E8W2lKQMv8zJMZT6E4-2ho/s320/DSCN0193.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br clear="left" />
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">The
choice on Leaving the EU has muddied the water. How should
Independence supporting Nationalists play the UK/ EU Referendum? What
, if any was the plan?</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">Plaid
Cymru had dropped the policy of independence in 1999, ostensibly to
boost its numbers to the new National Assembly. Dafydd Wigley, the
party leader had simply announced that <b>the party was not for
independence and the party had never been so</b>. Whether this had
any influence on the vote for Plaid is unclear but they did have
their best Assembly result ever to date on that first election.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Over
the years independence had crept back, but was pretty </span><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;">aspirational</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">,
without a clear pathway or deadlines Plaid Cymru supported Remain,
ostensibly for the Grant monies administered by the EU for Wales
which following Brexit they did not trust the UK to continue paying. and were concerned about any impacts on business. . Fair points, but
nothing likely to explain abandoning Independence. Other welsh nationalists could
see the possibilities of Brexit opening up a road to Independence.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">In
Scotland, former SNP depute Leader, Jim Sillars has eloquently set
out the reason for his “out and out” policy.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">In
surely a regressive policy move against independence, the “I” word
has again disappeared from Plaid’s literature in the leaflets for
the European Elections. Presumably in a move to capture the Labour
Remain vote. The narrative is just the nice generous EU with whom we
will be far better off. No mention of the real issues of Wales, which
is not primarily the money “from Europe” but the more pressing
economic, structural, environmental and health service problems which
threaten us all. These more due to the chronic problems of
governmental neglect, maladministration and the horrific waste of
public money we see so often.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "source sans pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<h2 class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; margin-top: 0.53cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: black;">Leaving
the EU Itself Is Not a New Idea</span></b></span></span></span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">The
original Treaty of Rome 1957, was signed in Perpetuity, but events
have since forced the EU to allow countries to Leave.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">First
was Algeria after the declaration of Independence of the former
French Algeria. Greenland became independent in 1979 after winning
an independence referendum but as their only sizeable industry was
fisheries they were severely economically disadvantaged by membership
of the Common Fisheries policy. After winning a referendum to exit
the EU in 1985 they were allowed to leave. As these areas were – in
theory – territories of member countries (when the EU was formed) that had gained independence, a blind eye could be turned to the treaty of
Rome as the legal issues were blurred.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">In
2004 the EU expanded and the accession countries demanded a change
in the constitution to allow whole states to leave. Obviously a treaty in
perpetuity is a big ask, as there could come a time for any members
when leaving was desirable.</span></span></span></span></div>
<h2 class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; margin-top: 0.53cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: black;">Article
50</span></b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">This
was drawn up at the request of those new members by UK Peer Lord
Kerr of Kinlochlard. It was difficult to get the original EU members
to agree to it and Article 50 was incorporated into EU law only after
the clause was inserted into the Treaty of Lisbon, which came into
force in 2009.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">Since
then Saint Barthelemy, a French Caribbean Island which seceded by
poplar vote from the community of Guadeloupe and France, has also
left the EU in 2012. greatly improving its tourism economy</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">However
Greenland and St Barts have accepted the position of becoming
“Overseas Countries and Territories” of the EU. This means they
have a far looser situation, a soft Brexit type position. They have
the Euro, follow basic EU regulations, have EU citizenship and even
have limited access to development grants, but also have a have
strong degree of National Autonomy. They are not in the single market
so do not have freedom of movement of workers, but do accept the EU
workers rights and other directives.</span></span></span></span></div>
<h2 class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; margin-top: 0.53cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: black;">UK - The First Big Fish To Try And Escape?</span></b></span></span></span></h2>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">As
the only countries who have left the EU so far, have been those who
succeeded from existing member states,the UK is the first
“complete” state to try to get out of the EU. The precedent is
set for stateless nations and autonomous territories of larger states
who democratically decided to claim their independence,.but not for big fish.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">Suddenly
the EU pulls out all the stops to keep the UK. Of course it’s the
money. With the UK and Germany as the main countries bankrolling the whole of EU subsidies for Farming, development grants etc., many of the
smaller countries and weaker economies are seriously concerned at the
loss of a huge portion of their “aid money” on which they rely.
Little problem getting out of the EU if you are Greenland or St.
Barts and have practically no impact on the economy of the EU. But
richer nations No Way! Of course it has to be hard and preferably
blocked for as long as possible while the UK £millions are still donated to the EU coffers.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDgwSSu40vihEYKusk14LbBUQiSmtzrPZF2iTSaxp65gWvDwEA43dymztqplg3LTn9gzKq29rGeAfIr-LIgAV9-Exye0JLlyS_tF35pIn36AiNG-YEpehD4kk29BqCoTJjRLMsHgYPUSA/s1600/DSCN1040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDgwSSu40vihEYKusk14LbBUQiSmtzrPZF2iTSaxp65gWvDwEA43dymztqplg3LTn9gzKq29rGeAfIr-LIgAV9-Exye0JLlyS_tF35pIn36AiNG-YEpehD4kk29BqCoTJjRLMsHgYPUSA/s320/DSCN1040.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frankfurt's Financial District</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Are
We Too Valuable To Lose?</span></b></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">And
unfortunately even Scotland and Wales are probably too valuable to
the EU to let go of easily. The loss of 10.000 former French citizens
in St, Barts were not worth arguing over, but the EU seems less keen to
encourage Independence in richer, populous provinces such as
Cataluña.,</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">The
evidence of that in 2014 during the Scottish Referendum were the huge
efforts made by EU leaders to tell the Scottish people that leaving
the UK meant economic disaster, a hard border with England,
catastrophic loss of trade and a decade to get back in. The current
policy in Scotland is now to demand a second referendum on the EU
decision and whether they get it or not, go for Indyref2, preferably
in 2020 .</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">This
will honour the landmark historic Declaration of Arbroath., the emphatic last
statement of the Flower of Scotland. and a timely reminder that
there was a time when large English armies were driven by force from
the soil of Scotland, not by force of numbers but by superior
strategy and unwavering determination to be free, as the Declaration
of Arbroath makes clear.</span></span></span></span></div>
<h2 align="justify" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; margin-top: 0.53cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: black;">What
About Wales?</span></b></span></span></span></h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1n4hb3A6EnGiE9pBWKN_Uh893Z5OpQlqCra_8_MQ_lFnT5t9YQXGDvHpSDpIAOgZ6ngG_mmHQIOnx1fGD_WOk4ZKsRCWHXPs1OOS0e7Yv7syjfJQeDugrhCoIRBmDtyefMS8-6RoXYRx/s1600/DSC00004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1n4hb3A6EnGiE9pBWKN_Uh893Z5OpQlqCra_8_MQ_lFnT5t9YQXGDvHpSDpIAOgZ6ngG_mmHQIOnx1fGD_WOk4ZKsRCWHXPs1OOS0e7Yv7syjfJQeDugrhCoIRBmDtyefMS8-6RoXYRx/s320/DSC00004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaid's MEP Jill Evans at SNP National Conference 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">Are
Plaid just copying Scotland, waiting for step one, to win a majority in the Senedd?
Then they persuade a UK Government to hold a referendum and then we fight for it and win it – probably in the face of a great deal of opposition from
all of the powerful interests who benefit so much from the status
quo? </span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0.26cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">If </span><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;">Scotland</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> win Independence would the rump UK to be nice to
Wales? If they don’t win, its a great excuse to refuse even
starting the Indy ref. process in Wales. The UK is unlikely to play
the game. There may be lots of sweets for Scotland’s Ugly Little
Sister (as Blair’s Cabinet allegedly called us) to persuade her to
stay, as the last colony. It may work. If economic comfort is the first priority, we may never be free to build our own future .</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">But what are we doing now to keep the desire
for Independence alive and the people of Wales properly educated
about the advantages of leaving the UK? Independence of any country is always likely to lead to transient economic problems and various realignments and new alliances. If it is Plaid's view that the EU cannot be exited because of this possibility, are Plaid Cymru confirming that Dafydd Wigley was in fact correct in 1999? and despite the </span><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;">pro Independence </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Credentials voiced by Adam Price in his </span><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;">campaign</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> for Plaid's Leadership, his actions are equally suspect. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">Personally,
as a radical nationalist, I’ve never thought that staying in the EU
will advance Independence for Wales. I was a leaver – like most
Welsh voters.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">But
I do accept that for many welsh people, a promise of more certain economic security
in the near future currently trumps a longer term project for
Independence, even in Plaid Cymru.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;">The advantage the Scots have is that they won their national freedom in the past, and are only a part of the UK due to a king of Scotland inheriting the English throne. They have more confidence and other advantages such as a separate legal code.Our history does not make us lesser people, we can still chose our own course and not accept the status quo.If we are second rate it is because we allow ourselves to be treated as such . </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
believe personally that every day we fail to promote our own Welsh Independence we shall lose more of our
people, more of our culture, and more of our National Heritage. Its
a choice that should not be made by Welsh Politicians secretly and quietly in small rooms as now, but publicly
and openly.discussed by all. What are we so afraid of ?</span></span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><b>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
question is “If not now, when?”. Supporting Remain for short term political gain may have a
heavy price, if abandoning Independence long term is the practical result.</span></span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"> Siân Caiach</span><span style="text-align: left;">, </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</span></span></b></span></span>
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<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Historical note: The Declaration of Arbroath - a letter to the Pope</i></span></span></b></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;"><b>Back in 1320, the king of England asked the pope to find out his chances of persuading the nobles of </b></span><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;"><b>Scotland</b></span><span style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal;"> to submit to English Rule. the Scottish King had been excommunicated from the church for some years and there was both a campaign from Scotland to have Robert reinstated as well as the English argument that he was not a </b><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"><b>legitimate</b></span></span><b style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal;"> king . The written reply, in Latin is long and rambling and contains some historical total </b><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"><b>nonsense</b></span></span><b style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal;">. It is signed or had a seal attached by a representative of every noble house in </b></span><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17.3333px; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;"><b>Scotland</b></span><b style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left;">. Many of the Flower had been lost, but some are still alive and listed there and their leader, Robert 1st was also present in Arbroath to see it witnessed. After seeing the letter, The Pope advised Edward III not to have a go at invading </b></i><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Scotland</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><i><b style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal;">Robert was no saint and had almost destroyed the Independence cause by getting himself excommunicated after </b><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"><b>accidentally</b></span><b style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal;"> murdering another claimant to the throne, John Cymyn, in a Church in Dumfries. He invited him in for a cosy chat in a sacred </b><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"><b>sanctuary.</b></span><b style="font-size: 13pt; letter-spacing: normal;"> but lost his temper and </b><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"><b>stabbed</b></span><b style="font-size: 13pt; letter-spacing: normal;"> him.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><i><b style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">After this he had to be crowned in haste, before the Pope, found out and his mate the Bishop of Glasgow got him to Scone and crowned soon as possible before he was excommunicated in Avignon, his wife, daughter and some of his family were captured, the women </b><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"><b>imprisoned</b></span></span><b style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> and the men executed, and he spent a lot of time as a </b><span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"><b>fugitive</b></span></span><b style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">, hiding from the English until the final victory in the mud of Bannnockburn </b></i></span><i style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> in 1314.</b></i><br />
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<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: #5e5b5b;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><i><b style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal;">The T Shirts usually quote the </b><span style="font-size: 17.3333px;"><b>stirring</b></span><b style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal;"> patriotism:</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">"As long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours, that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself"</span></div>
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<b style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; text-align: left;"><i>but the document is important politically for the assertion of the rights of all men ,and the first open rejection of the divine right of anointed kings:</i> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #5e5b5b; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; text-align: left;">Immediately before the usual T shirt quote is this description of the king: </span></div>
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<span style="border: none; display: inline-block; padding: 0cm;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "nimbus sans l"; text-align: left;"> T</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "nimbus sans l"; text-align: left;">o him, as to the man by whom salvation has been wrought unto our people, we are bound both by law and by his merits that our freedom may be still maintained, and by him, come what may, we mean to stand. Yet if he should give up what he has begun, and agree to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us, our King;</span></span></div>
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People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-71961695446480333672019-05-27T11:32:00.000+01:002019-05-27T12:11:52.411+01:00, Stealing from the Public Purse - The Scandal of Prince Philip Hospital''s "Extra Benefits in Kind" <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wales is said to be infamous for wasting public money. The Assembly, the County Councils, The National Health Service, various UK and EU grant funding bodies often find their public money is not all spent as intended. A few weeks ago I was at an international women's day event and intended to talk about my own experience of being a female surgeon, a career cut short by the greed of my male colleagues.<br />
<br />
I had explained that after spending most of my childhood and a university education in England I finally returned to Wales. I was about to tell the story about how I was forced out of my Consultant job by a group of greedy scumbag consultants who used NHS facilities , hardware, drugs and investigations etc for their private patients for free, and must have pocketed quite a few grand on a regular basis .<br />
<br />
The management colluded with these men who presumably made a far bigger profit from their private patients than they would otherwise. In my time at Prince Philip Hospital senior female doctors were sometimes treated quite contemptuously and one other female consultant was also forced out of her job. This left only a single female consultant in the hospital. I'm sure things must be better now?<br />
<br />
However, as I started to speak I recalled that an earlier speaker had told a moving story of her battle with breast cancer. She needed a special test not available on the NHS which cost a thousand pounds.<br />
Don't worry, said the kindly consultant , I'll pay for it for you, he said, provided you don't mention it to my wife!.<br />
<br />
This was one of doctors on the scam that had ended my career and I was going to mention him. I couldn't help but speculate how much of that £1,000 had actually been filched from the public purse. The doctor himself had sought me out when the scandal broke to explain that he was not as much of a scumbag as the others. When he was doing purely cosmetic operations he insisted , he said, on paying for the breast implants<br />
<br />
No great pain to him, of course, as the ladies improving the size of their boobs would have paid him the going rate for the job lot anyway. He would just have got free use of the theatre, drugs, anaesthetics, etc and less of a "profit" at public expense. His level of morality was that he would not rob quite as much from the public purse when the patient was having cosmetic work done by him in an NHS hospital She would pay for the implants which he could have got for free. He told me he found he was not being invoiced for the £800 silicone implants by the hospital, and had insisted on being charged for them from then on.<br />
<br />
A theatre nurse later told me that he occasionally used the weekend "on call" theatre, where staff awaiting emergencies,(who were not paid anything extra at the time for the private work) assisted him Emergency cases were rare at weekends in Llanelli, with a relatively few cases per day, you could get away with fitting in a short operation usually. One day, she recalled, an emergency appendectomy case came in during a boob job. The team were said to be under considerable pressure to get the lady "ofF the table" Luckily the sick patient did get their operation before the appendix burst, but the situation was very uncomfortable.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince Philip Hospital</td></tr>
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My orthopaedic colleague forced me to go public on the scam when he not only substituted his own private patients ahead of his own NHS patients ,many of whom has waited a long time in pain, but started to discharge my patients awaiting operations, to admit his own private patients. To my shame I knew it was going on but did not know the extent if it, The medical director explained that we needed to attract private work into the hospital to help pay the bills, he just didn't specify<i> whose bills</i>. I assumed the the hospital was informed where patients were private and charging fully for all their services. Far from it.<br />
<br />
I find greed particularly disturbing in those with already healthy salaries and good, secure jobs. Those consultants who got carried away with their greed, and especially when they displaced urgent NHS patient cases to line their own pockets were particularly deplorable. The management were totally complicit and knew all of what was happening. I was only ignorant because I never did any private practice and was happy with my salary. I never asked for extra increments on my salary nor asked for free use of NHS facilities, goods and services. Many of colleagues, it seems, did both.<br />
.<br />
So I decided not to mention Mr Simon Holt in my "inspirational speech" which became quite disjointed as I self censored more than half of it. It was not the occasion, celebrating women, to "out" him as one of the many parasites I worked with in the health service, especially in the presence of lady who thought so much of him, I hope he is "being good" now.<br />
<br />
The Scam was said to be quite legal because the hospital management gave the NHS implants, beds and facilities away freely in order to keep the Surgeons and anaesthetists happy For them it was a staff retention scheme, explained to me as "undeclared benefits in kind", I bet they were not taxed so possibly not as legal as they claimed. The chief executive of the time was asked to resign, the chair was not reappointed, but no doctors were disciplined after the misuse of NHS services was exposed.<br />
<br />
Auditors would surely assume all medical implants eg hip replacements, purchased by a hospital would be used on NHS patients, and all theatre cases were NHS patients. In my day I found serious deception, where private patients were not declared and extensive theatre records, the operation log books, were "lost" before the Audit Commission arrived to check out the hospital. It was hard for the authorities to find out what had actually happened and how much had been lost to the NHS.<br />
<br />
I'd like to think that these things don't happen any more, but I am suspicious that they may. Greedy people in authority can often find ways to line their pockets. Clever doctors did persuade the management that they really need an "extra something" to stay in such a god forsaken place as West Wales and if other surrounding Health Boards had similar incentives, as claimed, it did put the management in a difficult situation.<br />
<br />
I even think the private patients were exploited in this scam, as they were surely overcharged for operations which the NHS and their taxes were subsidising?<br />
<br />
When I was assessed by the GMC (the then medical director, Dr Peter Thomas reported me as incompetent when I declined his offer to leave quietly) the GMC assessors agreed I needed some refresher training (I had been suspended for 3 years) and advised me to leave Wales to get it, the inference being that such scams were common here and surgeons and management in England were far more moral.<br />
<br />
The truth of this. I never looked into. My father who had moved to Wales to retire was dying, my mother was not coping well, my partner and I split up, and I had 4 children in local school, I wanted to stay. It felt like the bandits, not the sheriff running you out of town. I was severely depressed for several years following the whole unpleasant experience but I have now recovered.<br />
<br />
I have stayed in Wales.<br />
<br />
Several of my colleagues had promised me I would never work again, I didn't believe them but the Health Board and my colleagues did refuse to give me any references. I did try to find refresher training work in the Welsh NHS but found myself essentially blacklisted. Whistle blowers usually do get their careers destroyed and I was no exception.<br />
<br />
Now, if well payed,valued and respected workers in the public sector need extra money from quiet and management endorsed theft , especially when it may affect the quality of care of patients on the waiting lists, what sort of example is that to our Nation?. Some time ago our local MP was criticised for claiming a modest kettle on her MP expenses. Clearly a £1500 hip replacement implant disappearing from a theatre shelf was much easier to hide!.<br />
<br />
I would like to think that these practises are long gone. I left the NHS in 2005 and I would like to think that the Hywel Dda and other health boards are now squeaky clean and these scams are a thing of the past..<br />
<br />
If you know differently, I would be happy to confidentially hear your stories.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fff9e7; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Siân Caiach</span></b></span><br />
<br />
Parc Farm House,<br />
Trimsaran Road,<br />
Llanelli SA15 4RD 01554 785046 sian.caiach@gmail.com</div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-1844149665183737662019-04-27T00:05:00.001+01:002019-07-22T17:08:02.731+01:00All Under One Banner - the first AUOB March in Wales . Cardiff, May 11th . An open invitation to all .<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Cardiff AUOB march was well attended, estimated at 2-3,000 and I was in attendance with my own group, Gwlad Gwlad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Apart from the public address system, (I have no idea what anyone said !) all went well and I believe the organisers plan many more events. The next one Caernarfon, is on Saturday July 27th</span></div>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">ALL Under One Banner</b><span style="font-size: large;"> is a Scottish Organisation whose aim is to bring all the pro Independence groups in Scotland together in large inclusive marches throughout Scotland. It encourages a show of total solidarity among all in favour of Scottish Independence whatever their politics or opinions. Recent marches have been impressive with large turn outs as shown below</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnNeneoFBVeJa75TLZpqdQPzAYYkTg_LJnkvCE-xh3bDYEE64ICtFuK2kB6eBGu7lg7J4WbWG1H7zFQOV_oPLqFvBUx9_kQtKvR5Xu4dOIadCki4pTDQtYvKwgRqAOPstoAoqRwZnVZ9r/s1600/AUOB+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="624" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnNeneoFBVeJa75TLZpqdQPzAYYkTg_LJnkvCE-xh3bDYEE64ICtFuK2kB6eBGu7lg7J4WbWG1H7zFQOV_oPLqFvBUx9_kQtKvR5Xu4dOIadCki4pTDQtYvKwgRqAOPstoAoqRwZnVZ9r/s320/AUOB+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 100,000 strong Edinburgh AUOB March October 2018, their largest march to date<br />
.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Scottish Independence movement is, at present, more popular and organised that our Independence movement in Wales.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">They started organising these marches a month after the 2014 Independence referendum to keep up the momentum and the camaraderie of the independence campaign .</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Below is one of their posters for a 2016 event which illustrates neatly one big difference between the SNP and Plaid Cymru. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Scotland has more than one Scottish Political Party embracing the policy of Scottish Independence. The S.N.P. would not be in charge of the Scottish Government today without the support of Pro- Independence allies , currently the Scottish Greens.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOxVLQORXeaZ55CvVFKF_GyVK-KavdhwD3WQPA5MU-zX7GjXhYt6JcLbRQKTyJbrcbDzvokeFPVfTd9bBJCEHaXDepOFMzhyRa7Cp3TgRZ2M8TCvvE-NWqGLb0-mtM-kEI9dSxfn6JH3p/s1600/AUOB+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOxVLQORXeaZ55CvVFKF_GyVK-KavdhwD3WQPA5MU-zX7GjXhYt6JcLbRQKTyJbrcbDzvokeFPVfTd9bBJCEHaXDepOFMzhyRa7Cp3TgRZ2M8TCvvE-NWqGLb0-mtM-kEI9dSxfn6JH3p/s320/AUOB+2016.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDrZwBaNExbaBAXl8QcxQctRv0iMBpLKSS8SI5D2-XQscmGZpVX0DfZz3T3DccsdY-jbLo8puSywxXvNAjs0LNXrrtA4MZgdAI7YgVcx7_ldF9PVBbZih1UHKtzt-rlR6rrpSH2yNzG19/s1600/Auob+cYmru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1108" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwDrZwBaNExbaBAXl8QcxQctRv0iMBpLKSS8SI5D2-XQscmGZpVX0DfZz3T3DccsdY-jbLo8puSywxXvNAjs0LNXrrtA4MZgdAI7YgVcx7_ldF9PVBbZih1UHKtzt-rlR6rrpSH2yNzG19/s640/Auob+cYmru.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The First Welsh March was on May 11th March and supported by many patriotic individuals and an increasing number of organisations:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> These include, All Under One Banner Scotland, Cymdeithas Yr Iaith Cymraeg, Welsh Football Fans for Independence, Gwlad Gwlad, Ein Gwlad, Yes is More, Plaid Cymru, Awoken Cymru, Labour for an Independent Wales and Yes Cymru. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It would be a great thing to see more people freely and confidently expressing their Welsh Identity, Culture and Patriotism and desire for change. It was a good day out in Cardiff !.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Siân Caiach, </span></div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-55809668223827121462019-04-21T12:15:00.001+01:002019-04-21T12:15:41.537+01:00Brexit Promises - who promised to do what and why , how no-one delivered , and the next tactics we can expect.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Most of you were
probably sick of Brexit, but with all the MP’s on holiday it does
give us a chance, now things are quiet, to look back at how the
Circus came into being and the possible motivations. 2017 seems ages
ago but its worth looking at what we were promised <i>before</i> that
election.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The main Political
Parties in Wales with only one exception, said in 2017, prior to the
General election of that year, that they accepted the Result of the
Referendum to Leave the E.U. They would deliver the best form of
Brexit. Then one did a sharp U turn to demand a second referendum and campaign for Remain the others kept their policies but then spent years
wasting our time and destroying our economy by not sorting out
Brexit.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I believe that most
UK politicians genuinely originally believed in 2016 that the people
of the UK would not vote Leave. Still reeling with the shock many
made promises to deliver Brexit that they had no real intention of
fulfilling. Follow that with a misguided 2017 general election which
turned the Conservatives into a minority government dependent on the
DUP, and the focus of many Remain MP’s switches to delaying and/or
stopping Brexit. This is complicated by what becomes a clear policy
by Labour to concentrate on undermining the Conservatives and forcing
another General Election to put Labour into power on a UK basis.</div>
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<br /></div>
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On the other axis is
a small group of more principled MP’s who actually want a proper
Brexit where we do leave the EU and between these a large number of
our leaders claim to want to fulfil the decision of the people but
whose antics are totally ineffective. The E.U. negotiators have done
their best to thwart Brexit, They need our money [which we now know
from the wording of the Withdrawal Deal is nearer £390 million a
week rather than the £350m on the bus] and the E.U. Beaurocrats want
to make leaving the EU a long and difficult process. They need to
discourage the Eurosceptics in other E.U. Countries from taking
similar action as the UK and every delay is more money for them.
</div>
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Lets look at the
2017 party manifesto for each major party standing in Wales, most
promised in 2017 to deliver Brexit but haven’t quite made it yet.
In fact, in practice, the M.P.s have appeared to deliberately deliberately
obstruct leaving the E.U.
</div>
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Few M.P.s declared
how they had personally voted in the 2016 referendum on their
election literature when they stood in the 2017 General Election.
Their party policies were all the public generally had to go on,
reflected in their election literature. The result was a House of
Commons where around 75% of all M.P.s had previously supported and
voted Remain. Although few could be described as young, they do, in
the main, fit the rest of the demographic for remain voters. Many are
graduates, all have a very comfortable income, most are homeowners,
and many are of middle or upper class background. What they did not
realise was that they were about to expose the UK political class as
seriously unfit for purpose, and change our politics radically.
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<b>The Conservative
and Unionist Party. </b>
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Their manifesto
opens with Theresa May’s positive statement on Brexit:</div>
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<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This manifesto,
Forward, Together: Our Plan for a Stronger Britain and a Prosperous
Future will meet the great challenges of our time, beyond Brexit.
With this plan and with a strong hand through Brexit, we will build a
stronger, fairer, more prosperous Britain, for all of us.
</div>
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<i>No hint of the
ultra Tory Brexiteers and the determined Tory Remainers who would in
fact, deliberately block her Brexit Plans. Also the Conservatives
totally underestimated the EU negotiation difficulties. as the EU
had no interest in an early Brexit and is quite happy to receive the
generous contributions from the UK for as long as possible.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<b>The Labour Party</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helmet" , "freesans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">"Let's
build a fairer Britain where no one is held back. A country where
everybody is able to get on in life, to have security at work and at
home, to be decently paid for the work they do, and to live their
lives with the dignity they deserve."</span></span></span></span></span></span><b>
Jeremy Corbin</b></div>
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Welsh Labour have a separate manifesto. “Standing up for Wales”
116 pages long. “This is not the Brexit Election”, it states. It
calls for backing to elect Westminster members to form a UK Labour
government to support the Welsh Labour Government and makes Welsh
promises such as the end of Severn Bridge tolls and Support for Wylfa
Newydd Nuclear power.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On Brexit:</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They
would “give a meaningful role to Parliament and the Welsh
Government through the Brexit negotiations”. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently,
in UK’s Labour Conference, an option of a “People’s Vote” has
been added to the Brexit mix by Labour but is not yet definitely
adopted as a rigid policy.</span></span></div>
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<b>The Liberal
Democrats</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Manifesto title “Change Britain’s Future”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helmet" , "freesans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Tim
Farron's </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helmet" , "freesans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">leader’s
</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helmet" , "freesans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: normal;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">foreword
says: "I want the Liberal Democrats to be the party that holds
Theresa May to account over spending on the National Health Service;
our young people's education, skills and opportunities; the
protection of our precious environment; and our future relationship
with Europe."</span></span></span></span></span></span>
</div>
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<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The Lib Dems are the
only major party who list a second referendum as a policy prior to
the 2017 Election and paint a picture of doom for any form of Brexit
from then onwards. Full marks for consistency but they didn’t do
too well at the General Election.</div>
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<b>Plaid Cymru</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The 2017 manifesto
is titled “Defending Wales” and reminds us several times that
“Plaid Cymru is the hardest working party in Westminster”.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Plaid accept the
result in Wales of a pro-Brexit vote and offer to deliver a Brexit
favouring Wales:</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“We will fight to
get the best possible Brexit deal for Welsh Industry and
Agriculture.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“We will secure
all the money promised by the Leave Campaign and not a penny less”.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At some point,
presumably by some internal party process I can’t find, this has
morphed into a policy of reversing Brexit and having a “peoples’
vote” on any Brexit decision.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It is thought that
Plaid may have just changed policy, perhaps by executive decision, to
the SNP’s policy, in the hope that a second referendum in the UK
will set a precedent for a second Scottish Independence referendum.
There is certainly an argument that supporting the SNP in order to
hasten Scottish Independence may progress Plaid’s plans for our own
Independence. However, there is this little problem in that the
majority of people in Wales voted out. Plaid MP Jonathan Edwards,
whose Carmarthen East Constituency voted out with a similar margin as
neighbouring, Llanelli, is especially cynical in taking this view.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The other Plaid
M.P.s can at least claim their voters voted remain, and now hold the
view that a re-run is necessary. However, I doubt that many M.P.s of
all colours have any real idea of what their voters actually think
today. Some media claim all leavers have changed their minds
significantly but the panic about EU elections suggest that the fear
of Eurosceptic Parties’ by the mainstream ones. belies that
belief</div>
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<b>UKIP</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Paul Nuttall was the UKIP leader in 2017 and he presented a manifesto
called “Britain Together”</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helmet" , "freesans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">A
"patriotic agenda for defending our country and our way of
life."</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helmet" , "freesans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Paul
Nuttall's foreword says: "We are the country's insurance policy,
the guard dogs of Brexit. We have fought for Brexit all our political
lives and we want to ensure that the people get the kind of Brexit
they voted for on 23rd June last year.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helmet" , "freesans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">However,
the party were not successful in getting any MPs elected so could not influence Brexit at all..</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helmet" , "freesans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Recent
polls suggest that if there is an EU parliamentary election the
current trends are a drop in Conservative and Labour support and an impressive
showing for the new Nigel Farage led Brexit Party:</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "helmet" , "freesans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Overall,
Wales 2016 referendum result of 54% leave vs 46% remain is close to
the UK result of 52% Leave vs 48% remain, with 2% more Leavers in
Wales and 2% less Remain supporters.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Next
steps politically…..</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>BACKDOOR
SECOND REFERENDUM?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Its
been suggested in the Guardian that the EU Parliamentary Elections
could be used by Remain Campaigners as a second Brexit referendum.
The individual Remain parties have all rejected electoral pacts but
they could still replicate a second referendum and possibly even
increase the turnout for EU elections, usually pretty low in the UK.
So a campaign to encourage Remain voters to vote for the Stop Brexit
policy parties, it is argued, could “win” overall in the EU
parliament elections and show that the people of the UK have really
changed their minds.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Any
vote for the Remain favouring “Reverse Brexit Parties” - Plaid
Cymru, Change UK, Greens, Liberal democrats and Scottish National
Party – would count as a Remain vote, a request for staying in, and
presumably any vote for UKIP, Brexit Party, Labour and Conservatives
etc would count as a pro Leave vote. The trick is to get more theoretically Remain supporters out to vote than supposed pro Brexit ones on the day.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; padding: 0cm;">
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">However,
with the great public lack of confidence and trust in our politicians
would anyone bother to play this game or accept the “result”? </span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In any case the current polls suggest that this particular gambit looks rocky unless Labour , as advised by Deputy Leader Tom Watson, declares for a second referendum campaigning for Remain, thereby joining the "stop Brexit club",and, on today's figures, getting a theoretical but narrow pro Remain vote of 51% . </span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">However the risk of losing Labour Leave voters for the next general election would be real. Is staying in the E.U. more important to than Labour than winning a UK general election? I think not, but we are about to find out if the elections go ahead.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b> Yougov results 17.4.19 below</b></span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-weight: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="322" src="https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/inlineimage/26063/Brexit%20party%20now%20first-01.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Published by YouGov 17.4.19 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="border: none; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 137%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.48cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The 2 main political parties may well now try a last effort to pass the only withdrawal agreement the EU will allow, despite its flaws, as their only way of avoiding a very embarrassing European Union Parliamentary election.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fff9e7; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span>Siân Caiach</span></span></div>
<br /></div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-34722965683483058462019-04-02T22:24:00.000+01:002019-04-07T11:47:15.037+01:00Wellness Project exposes quite a swamp - Senior Council Officers and Executive Councillors must have known!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>What Happened to Wellness? The Swansea City Deal revealed as an expensive sham.</b> .<br />
<i>In Carmarthenshire a Plaid Cymru led Council is caught up in a mire of a public project which may never have been viable and threatens the whole Swansea Bay City Deal .</i><br />
<br />
Many of us older folks recall the comedy programmes of "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister" where the civil service were portrayed as being completely contemptuous of the elected members of parliament, even the top elected post. Civil servants often have effectively a job for life and incompetence is more likely to result in a change of internal post or title rather than the more uncertain position of elected politicians who actually have to justify themselves to the electorate.<br />
<br />
The 4 pillars of the civil service are allegedly the core values of honesty, objectivity, impartiality and integrity. They are as lacking in local government civil service as they are in Whitehall. Of course there are some decent people who are civil servants and who try very hard to work in the public interest. However, there are groups of civil servants who use their power and influence against the democratic representatives they claim to serve and instead clearly control the policy and direction of their organisations.<br />
<br />
The details of the betrayal of the people of Carmarthenshire and the Swansea Bay City Region as a whole, by the less than noble proponents of the "Flagship" Wellness Neurosciences Village planned to create jobs and prosperity in Llanelli. The whole mess is not yet fully investigated but the theme of the reports to date is that the scheme was never properly planned or thought out and some of its leading proponents were clearly lacking in honesty, integrity, objectivity and impartiality.<br />
<br />
The beneficiaries were seemingly the few and not the many. Academics from Swansea University seem to have meant to use the centre as a cover to sell UK medical degrees to middle eastern students. who would be enrolled at the Swansea Postgraduate medical school and likely accommodated at the Llanelli Wellness Village either to study and/or reside for some time to justify the Swansea degree.<br />
<br />
<b>False Hope for Llanelli?</b><br />
The plans promised to transform Llanelli from a depressed post industrial town to a beacon of Wellness featuring Health Tourism, World leading research, producing 2000 jobs on site and much needed boosts to local business. I very much doubt that the original idea for the scheme came from elected members. It was certainly not local councillor led. The choice of the contaminated brownfield site seemed simply due to its availability as publicly owned "free" County Council land. The problems in developing this land were dealt with by not investigating the issues and a bizarre report by the Council's agents, which was patchy, flawed, and did not satisfy Natural Resources Wales.<br />
<br />
Medical facilities for local people were included in the "Village",and a local authority care home to replace one closed in 2011, long promised but never delivered. The publicity shows a gleaming futuristic site with a computer animated "fly over", set in parkland and with attractive water features. It may well be that the "fly over" is the best production of the whole plan, as nothing pictured appears to have been properly planned or funded.<br />
<br />
Several million pounds of public money have been spent already on various assessments and initial site preparation. Carmarthenshire County Council is said to have already borrowed £200 million and certainly have not denied this when I've stated this before. I'm told the interest is already being paid from our council tax..<br />
<br />
<b>Carry on regardless!</b><br />
Having lost the UK City Deal funding Carmarthenshire County Council initially said that alternative funding was available, that the project could be financed in other ways, such as the eventual income rental and business rates from the neurosciences themed industrial units once they are built. In fact the project is on hold.<br />
<br />
Fooling the Councillors, few,if any, of whom in Carmarthenshire will have experience of building large projects like this, was probably easy. However, Senior Officers must have been concerned unless they too were mislead or perhaps complicit?, The whole premise of the City Deal was that large amounts of private money needed to be pledged to match fund much of the City Deal borrowing and grants. C.C.C. officers must have known, from the start, that the Sterling Health Group was essentially a bunch of small companies without significant funds and possibly just there to get money, not give it? The information on them from Companies House, from which they have now applied to remove their registrations, was freely available on line to all. Did nobody at CCC check?<br />
<br />
Cllr David Jenkins,(Plaid Cymru, Glanaman) the Executive Board Member for Finance in CCC has not been able to reply to any of the questions I have put to him on the subject of the Wellness Project. I am sure that he must have somehow been initially persuaded that the money was available, the scheme viable and everything was fine. But surely he must have realised eventually that the whole thing was a farce and unlikely to reinvigorate the economy of Llanelli as promised? In fact, it could have quite the opposite effect and leave the County now with even more debt than it had previously.<br />
Where was the return on any investment for private business?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ-fMG6gxKGGIP0VlbHAEx4Ug2LxpQYz7RTPsJhDL_prHcaA3HSMPYghCZ3_EhwNk8s0V3DAgjhibvjgxERUTXpyik7KWUyHDW87OFMJ3CZ-8WHa6HH3-7dFROzx1O2m6EekU6PMq25YK/s1600/Cllr+David+Jenkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJ-fMG6gxKGGIP0VlbHAEx4Ug2LxpQYz7RTPsJhDL_prHcaA3HSMPYghCZ3_EhwNk8s0V3DAgjhibvjgxERUTXpyik7KWUyHDW87OFMJ3CZ-8WHa6HH3-7dFROzx1O2m6EekU6PMq25YK/s320/Cllr+David+Jenkins.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Councillor David Jenkins, Carmarthenshire County Council </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Scam has been revealed not by insiders at Carmarthenshire County Council but by scepticism from concerned local residents who researched the participants and analysed the scheme. The eventual exposure of Sterling Health, together with some of the the Swansea University participants in the Deal, by exhibiting some very unprofessional behaviour related to the proposed deal was shocking enough, The Council cancelled its arrangement with Sterling. This was followed with the surprise additional revelation of a closely related scheme, the new Private Shifa'a Hospital and University in Kuwait, apparently ready to import its students and claim UK medical degrees for them through the Wellness Project. The CEO of Carmarthenshire County Council, Mark James, was offered and accepted a position as a trustee of the new Kuwaiti Medical School but forgot to declare his interest in this plan.<br />
<br />
In an article in the Llanelli Herald March 29th Jon Coles reveals that a Kuwaiti company, KIG, Kuwaiti Innovative Group, is now threatening to sue Swansea University. The academics are accused of leaking confidential information to the Western Mail to the detriment of KIG and effectively scuppering their project entirely.<br />
<br />
He reports: "The Controversy turns on a leaked report prepared by KPMG. It said "The project, which would take 3 years to develop consists of a University, a teaching hospital, a physical and occupational therapy centre, and commercial developments, including a hotel, hostel,staff accommodation and rental outlets"<br />
<br />
" All of which sounds awfully like the plans for Delta Lakes in Llanelli" says Mr Coles. KIG claims the leak "irreparably harmed the prospects for the Scheme's success".<br />
<br />
Swansea University denies the allegations and has suspended Professor Clement who in the past has arranged for thousands of overseas degree courses to be recognised as British degrees through the University of Wales. Evidence emerged that these degrees were not monitored adequately and the overseas scheme was stopped for good, it was thought. Now he has been exposed setting up a similar and probably more lucrative deal in medical degrees.<br />
<br />
How on earth did a scheme to build a Neurosciences themed industrial park with health,leisure and tourist facilities end up linking to a project to build a private hospital and medical school in Kuwait. These foreign students would presumably be offered degrees by Swansea University Postgraduate Medical School and possibly accommodated and offered experience at the Wellness Centre in Llanelli. Were they to be the real source of funding all along? Was it always just a scam to sell medical degrees to the Gulf?<br />
<br />
<br />
Siân Caiach<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: "roboto" , "robotodraft" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 0.75rem; letter-spacing: 0.3px; white-space: nowrap;"><b>siancaiach@eingwlad.cymru</b></span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-33173209504481362142019-03-21T08:49:00.000+00:002019-03-21T08:49:55.008+00:00The Brexit End Game?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><u><b>Robin Burn updates his views on Brexit as March 29th looms</b></u></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Wise men, and many
not so wise men, for decades, and in the case of Nostradamus tens of
decades, have expended copious quantities of energy in postulation as
to the demise of mankind, the world, the fate of nations, principally
their demise.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We remain.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We only have to cast
our minds back to the reams of documentation and discussion as to
the fate of the world on the effect of the Millennium bug and the
billions of pounds Euros and dollars spent on the totally unnecessary
replacement of IT equipment . The marketing was brilliant.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The result of a
leave decision of the 2016 referendum was prophesied by the remainers
was to be a total collapse of the UK economy. The opposite was a
result of the vote to leave.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now we have the
dedicated singled minded remainers prophesying the same result of a
no deal brexit.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevSp2L9x84Mi1in6ZmU_3ztdhbvRBzXpczGA2XiE3CUiKKhmdEMX5GcC-Ayp0keaaxZ9ULacw_s1hxPb33RerZsvfIpZjCqmZUl6BBjE4kTSQzdSiFI8N68Uz1Ra1_Q2ncdHJjhHWGOPJ/s1600/Theresa+May.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="416" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevSp2L9x84Mi1in6ZmU_3ztdhbvRBzXpczGA2XiE3CUiKKhmdEMX5GcC-Ayp0keaaxZ9ULacw_s1hxPb33RerZsvfIpZjCqmZUl6BBjE4kTSQzdSiFI8N68Uz1Ra1_Q2ncdHJjhHWGOPJ/s320/Theresa+May.png" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theresa May who offers Deal or no Deal next Tuesday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The reality of the
situation is, and always has been, that, the resilience of the nation
overcomes whatever adversity comes their way.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For too long, the
reaction of those individuals who find themselves on the wrong side
of the argument and decisions made ,resort to the malicious use of
fear scaremongering to present their arguments.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This nation, and I
include those of Scotland and Wales, and that on the Northern side of
the Border in Ireland, have served these islands with the ability to
create wealth and prosperity. Firstly the wool trade, then came
industrialisation, coal, fuelled the rest of the world, engineering
gave mechanical power to produce commodities, advances in medicine
served the populous, advances in science created modern technology,
the list goes on.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We need to fear
nothing, as a scientist and engineer, I am proud to be counted
amongst my fellows who served and those serving this nation. Remember
this country exported not only its goods but its ideas, to the
benefit of Industrial nations around the world.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This nation survived
two major debilitating world wars, and prospered after each.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Ingenuity and
inventiveness served us well.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There may well be a
short-term negative effect, however for the reasoning debated
above,long term prosperity will resume.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It’s time that
those who profess that they only serve the peoples’ interest, do so
, grasp the opportunity presented to this nation and practise what
they preach.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Update
:</span><b>March 19th 2019 ; Ten days to leaving day</b></u></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
With hindsight – a
wonderful instinct to be blessed with for those have it , the
majority of voters who mandated Parliament to leave the European
Union, 17.4 million, would have recognised that this was going to be
difficult.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
From the onset the
leaders and decision makers in the remaining 27 nations, made it
quite clear that the payment and cost of leaving, would be high and
the limit of our benefits receivable on leaving would be very
limited.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There was to be no
cherry picking of benefits, only acceptance of any benefits deemed
acceptable to the European Union.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It is proving to be
extremely difficult.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The question is why
it is proving so.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The answers are
quite clear.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The Ruling Party has
no overall majority, the result of a failed attempt to find a good
working majority, by calling a snap election.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Both parties, ruling
and in opposition are deeply divided equally by leavers and
remainers.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The parliament as a
whole has a superior majority of Members whom are committed
remainers.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The leave members
are also divided between those wishing a clean break without any
dealings with the Union and those wishing to leave with a good
working relationship with the Union.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
What is causing a
concern to the nation who voted leave, 52% of the vote,is the fact
that the democratic outcome is not being adhered to, that is the
acceptance of the vote, by those members with remain tendencies.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This is an abuse of
the democratic process, the will of the people is being usurped by
the collective will of the members who do not wish to leave.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
An insurmountable
situation on paper, but resolvable by supreme effort with an
uncertain outcome.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The only certain
outcome today is that come what may, departure date is the 29<sup>th</sup>
March 2019 by statute.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Robin Burn I Eng
FIMMM
</div>
<br /></div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-72517004949483856172019-02-24T22:17:00.000+00:002019-02-25T09:09:12.058+00:00Wellness Business Plan -finally leaked..and much revealed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>THE SECRET BUSINESS CASE RISES FROM THE SWAMP.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The lack of a business plan suitable to be shared with either the public or Carmarthenshire County backbench councillors has prompted rumours that the plan was seriously flawed. An article by Jon Coles, editor of the Llanell Herald who has been able to acquire the complete business case was published on February 22nd. This document has hundreds of pages and was submitted to the City Deal Board in November 2018, a rather curious fact as the project was supposedly practically up and running at this point.<br />
<br />
<b>WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM?</b><br />
The business case confirms that the project requires considerable private funding which must match or exceed the public funding for the scheme. Curious then that Council Leader Emlyn Dole appears to be considering "going it alone" and is said to have already borrowed over £200 million on behalf of the people of Carmarthenshire to fund this legacy project. Us locals are already paying the interest on this loan and there are plans to borrow much more to finance the entire build of the Deal. If it goes ahead, construction will take several years and the local population will be liable to pay back the whole of the costs if the project does not make a profit, This could mean cuts in Council Services and increases in council tax just to pay off this multi million debt.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b>STERLING HEALTH - POOR BUT AMBITIOUS.</b></h4>
Where is the private investment to match fund this public borrowing? The Sterling Health Company which became the official "Private Partner" clearly had very little in the way of funds itself and although there was a suggestion that they would broker private finance to match fund the project, this may have just been more borrowing from private banks dressed up as "private business funding". It is not clear exactly why Sterling Health and Carmarthenshire County Council parted company last December. The firm had no staff, only directors , little in the way of assets, some debt and no sign of ready money to invest . So the mystery of how it came to be the Private Sector funding partner is another issue to put to the senior officers and councillors who decided to take them on. Any one can see they are a tiddler of a company, by looking at Company House records open to the public.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it was just a pretence to allow the "City Deal" to go ahead and CCC were hoping that this company would not be "found out" as a partner with no money. However not having money did not seem to stop them from offering incentives to Swansea University employees based on the profits they were expecting in Llanelli.<br />
<br />
The Delta Lakes area, owned by the public, was said to be worth a maximum of £400,000. When the project was announced the Magic Money Tree department of the council claimed they had obtained a valuation of £35 million on the same land. All this depends on the planning permission, currently on hold, going ahead and developers being found for the scheme.<br />
<br />
<b>CARMARTHENSHIRE HAS FORM FOR GIVING AWAY PUBLIC LAND AND BUILDINGS IN LLANELLI</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Don't forget the case of the new Eastgate Town Centre development in Llanelli. The County Council generously gave ownership of the whole site over to the developers, Henry Davidson Developments, (HDD), a private company who built the buildings and then sold the buildings on to Standard Life for £12 million, thus pocketing the value of considerable public funds and grants had been spent on site preparation and compulsory purchase by the Council. Standard Life then merged with Aberdeen Asset Management to form Standard Life Aberdeen .<br />
Since this merger in 2007 the company, which merged with a valuation of £11bn, has lost £6.8bn, in asset value and is currently suffering something of a sell off and dip in share values. Our taxes used to support a developer and then our town centre sold for that developer's profit to a FTSE company whose board probably have little idea where Llanelli really is? If the Wellness Centre is built could this happen again?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzQ9buXMqjqCGmnK0P1OtSZyx5s8GHa8gC2JP4R2XdRDeDWbhC85DZR1hx8dTQ2t_5EJT7ExN14eLu_i4mUNDkvTLIh-S1EUPDovd3jVN4BCQQrdMxk_YwZgloGjTmK_X1E62i3d0OHPM/s1600/DSCN0946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzQ9buXMqjqCGmnK0P1OtSZyx5s8GHa8gC2JP4R2XdRDeDWbhC85DZR1hx8dTQ2t_5EJT7ExN14eLu_i4mUNDkvTLIh-S1EUPDovd3jVN4BCQQrdMxk_YwZgloGjTmK_X1E62i3d0OHPM/s320/DSCN0946.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empty shop- Eastgate.</td></tr>
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<br />
The Eastgate is still not fully let. An ugly building with empty units and rents well above the local commercial shop rents elsewhere. The County Council agreed to rent the first floor office space for £250,000 per year for at least 20 years. A large grant was given to the Scarlets Rugby Club to keep open their shop in the Eastgate -£270,000, but it still folded. It just is not a good commercial area as originally advertised. Too expensive to rent and not near enough to the old shopping centre to get good footfall.<br />
<br />
In their business plan for the Wellness Project , thier plan claims the Council "<i>will have to accept "charges"over the assets to encourage private investment". </i><br />
<br />
This sounds suspiciously like the deal which led to our town centre being sold off, with the buildings being given away without even a ground lease retained by the Council. HDD were not even a public company, a private leasing concern based in Nottingham. Similarly to Sterling Health the private partner seemed simply to be a friend of friends, just like Sterling Health, selected from a short list of one company.<i> The perverse habit of using our money to subsidise "favourite" private companies has to stop.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOy8wibyghakbskNt-R2KE2YiTJ2kkoly2KvoboKYzF91S74zxqY-EL-cqoeUAmZ5S4IF3oEdDMF-rsScY8AMrUOsr360rsPiCBJVzGLjColRnSrCbPWPNK4-npTRMJqn1esjeGryISbnr/s1600/DSCN0944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOy8wibyghakbskNt-R2KE2YiTJ2kkoly2KvoboKYzF91S74zxqY-EL-cqoeUAmZ5S4IF3oEdDMF-rsScY8AMrUOsr360rsPiCBJVzGLjColRnSrCbPWPNK4-npTRMJqn1esjeGryISbnr/s320/DSCN0944.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LLanelli Eastgate -Statue representing tin workers.</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>SWANSEA UNIVERSITY WAS THE KEY TO OTHER PARTNERS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
To qualify for a City Deal one needs a County Council, a University or Universities and one or more serious businesses willing to invest their own money. Inconveniently Carmarthenshire has not only lost the support of the "private partner" Sterling Health, but also Swansea University. There are now grave concerns over several senior Swansea academics, and their links with the Wellness Project and Shifa'a in Kuwait. A desperate search to find either a new university and/or a new business partner for Carmarthenshire was not successful. Hence the adoption of "going it alone" by Emlyn Dole.<br />
<br />
CCC was to use the links of Swansea University to businesses such as Pfizer, Fujitsu, GSK, Microsoft,etc to recruit them to use various wellness project buildings and research, and any use or training of their medical staff or students at the Wellness project would need university approval. It's a big loss to the project but were the plans anything other than something to fill 40 acres of coastal land by a council desperate for jobs but a little too trusting of those who may have put greed before the welfare of local people?<br />
<br />
<b>WHAT WAS THE RESULT SUPPOSED TO BE?</b><br />
<br />
More questions than answers. Where were the jobs? Where were the figures showing that private Wellness tourism would fill the hotel. With sea water levels rising should any more domestic housing be built on the coast? How popular is shifting the new leisure centre out of town? Should a care home be built in an area which may be lost to the sea within decades?. The actual site has not been physically tested or fully geologically surveyed. It is frightening that the council seems keen to proceed with building without full information, The whole project is supposed to be finished by 2021 and I would be surprised if it makes it.<br />
<br />
Only recently, north of the site, a new aquifer was discovered in the path of the Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Rain Scape tunnel under construction on its way to Delta Lakes. It will take months to pump out the water and engineer a way for drilling to proceed. WWDC are aware that is has to be done carefully to prevent any damage to surrounding roads and property from ground settlement. This is close to the Railway station and apparently was previously a totally unknown underground waterway.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>WHAT HAPPENS TO WELLNESS NOW? </b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>As Mr Cole remarks, the new business Case planned for the "go it alone" project needs a massive re-write.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Much of the present business plan was to provide buildings for Swansea University to use and an NHS hub for Hywel Dda. Recently as a councillor I listened to a presentation by Hywel Dda where they were clearly not informed that the University had withdrawn and were still keen to use a promised Wellness building to offload GP services in some way. There is confusion as to what these NHS hubs should deliver and Hywel Dda plans to consult in the various localities as to what the public want. In the business plan Hywel Dda seem to promise financial contributions for 15 years. This is presumably some sort of rental agreement after their hub is built using the money borrowed by the County Council.<br />
<br />
In the new plan, Councillor Emlyn Dole needs to firm up the returns from these buildings. The extra money needed to satisfy the environmental protection of wildlife and to keep floods away etc will have to be factored in when the Welsh Government Ministers report on the planning permission they have "called in ", a move which prevents building until the issues have been addressed.<br />
<br />
As Emlyn Dole. the Council Leader, promises to fund the Council's borrowing from the rent and business rates of the properties to be built by Carmarthenshire, this can surely be calculated and published for all of us to see how the millions borrowed in our name will be used and payed back?<br />
<br />
The original Swansea City Deal, inspired by Sir Terry Mathews, was that of an "internet coast" driven by high tech innovation and IT start ups, Somehow this original plan was dumped,, along with Sir Terry to encourage a project more suitable to Sterling Health, a company which under another name, Kent Neurosciences, had built a private hospital in Kent which had not made profits as promised and had to be sold on.<br />
<br />
It is unlikely that the Wellness Project can or should be delivered as originally planned. The absence of real private investment is not a surprise when the whole business case does not have a clear and persuasive promise of commercial returns. Private investment needs a good chance of a decent profit, especially when hundreds of millions are involved. This was a project which should have never have been presented as a "City Deal" to attract UK and Welsh Government funds with no proper private business backing. It is, perhaps, fortunate, that the suspension of 4 members of Swansea University Staff ,on matters which the university investigated related to their involvement in the Wellness Village, alerted the public to the possible problems.<br />
<br />
There are now numerous investigations by Police, the Wales audit Office and Auditor General, and the Welsh government and UK Government who will withhold the City Deal funding until the facts are confirmed. Obviously no further funding other than further planned borrowing by Carmarthenshire County Council is likely until the allegations of wrongdoing are confirmed or disproved.<br />
<br />
Carmartheshire County Council should not proceed with spending more money under these circumstances The planning and business issues must be properly addressed. The use of pubic money, our taxes, is not to prop up "Dream" projects in the face of allegations of wrongdoing, especially when they include financial impropriety,The site will still be there when the investigations have concluded and an informed decision can be made with a new and public business case for all of us to see and even finally be properly informed as to what is going on!?<br />
<br />
<b>IN SUMMARY :</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The "Wellness City Deal" was a rehash of a previous scheme rejected by Welsh Government.. The Council supported it without proper scrutiny as the councillors were not made aware of the business case, risks and possible outcomes. The whole premise of the suitability of the "out of town" coastal site scheme and the theme of Commercial Neurosciences was never properly considered or explained. It could have been an extra campus for Swansea University but they were well over budget on their Bay Campus and leading Swansea academics were flirting with Kuwait, rather than Llanelli, to bankroll the Universities' future and support the Wellness Deal.<br />
<br />
The universities' Vice Chancellor, the Academic Boss of the university, Professor Richard Davies commanding a salary of more than £250,000, was suspended after an investigation. Vice Chancellors are rarely suspended and we can assume the reasons were unlikely to be trivial.<br />
<br />
The full details of the unprofessional behaviour which precipitated the suspensions of staff and withdrawal of Swansea University from the City Deal are not yet released. They seem to include accepting promises of shares, discounted properties and other incentives provided via Sterling Health.<br />
<br />
Since the revelations last November, Carmarthenshire County Council's chief executive Mark James has announced his retirement, leaving next June when he is 60 and can claim his pension.<br />
<br />
Professor Davies has announced he will leave Swansea later this year. The Stirling Health companies have applied to be wound up and removed from the Company's House Register and Stirling Health's agreement with Carmarthenshire County Council was terminated. We now await the findings of the various investigating bodies. The planning permission is on hold until Welsh Government Ministers decide on environmental objections to developing parts of the site.<br />
<br />
The Plaid/Independent Coalition who run the Council seem committed to a "go it alone" plan where the local authority continue to borrow £ millions and finance some or all of the project if the planning is approved. This also has yet to be discussed and shared by the Council as a whole, which the original plan definitely was not!<br />
<br />
Siân Caiach,</div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-486444572699479234.post-72280584517581086082019-02-18T12:32:00.004+00:002019-02-18T12:32:23.016+00:00The Shifting Sands of Shifa'a<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>WHAT WERE SWANSEA UNIVERSITY THINKING - PLANNING TO BUY INTO A MEDICAL SCHOOL IN KUWAIT, WHEN OUR OWN WELSH STUDENTS CAN'T GET PLACES TO TRAIN AS DOCTORS AND NURSES? </b><br />
<br />
Shifa'a is an Arabic word meaning Health and a general reference to the Islamic religious text al Shifa, a book which promises advice to restore health simply by being read to or by the sick.<br />
The Shifa'a project in Kuwait is allegedly a £600 million project, a new private hospital and private university medical school. Swansea University, or at least some of its employees, have been involved. Even Carmarthenshire Council's Chief Executive Mark James was due to have a position as trustee on the Kuwaiti University's Academic board, along with now suspended Swansea Academics Professor Marc Clement and Vice Chancellor Professor Richard Davies.. The plan may well have been to offer Kuwait based students UK medical degrees from Swansea's own Postgraduate School of Medicine.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IXiUzCKDNIk3cRl6LxEfavYf6FH9ICp4qg7EB7nCYRhvS6_r01fmBgkbJeNcMLrqg-I9PxSYdUT6eSFgnEJbjp86k_xdHJxHm1GeUBAG6LNBw_w8i97n6NVbcgxGOkc4c0p-EsksslSP/s1600/Kuwait-skyline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IXiUzCKDNIk3cRl6LxEfavYf6FH9ICp4qg7EB7nCYRhvS6_r01fmBgkbJeNcMLrqg-I9PxSYdUT6eSFgnEJbjp86k_xdHJxHm1GeUBAG6LNBw_w8i97n6NVbcgxGOkc4c0p-EsksslSP/s320/Kuwait-skyline.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kuwait</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>WELLNESS AND LIFE SCIENCES IN LLANELLI</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The new Llanelli Wellness project is mentioned as a base for these students, although it is not clear what branches of medicine they would actually be studying there as there is no clarity as to whether the Hywel Dda "Hub" the Health board is planning to occupy after it is built for them, would be suitable for medical students to assist or observe there.The University research building itself is on hold and may never be built.<br />
<br />
The Shifa'a university is entirely private and hopes to recruit 5,000 students to be trained in the private hospital adjacent. It is clear that Swansea University planned to award Swansea degrees to theses students to give them UK accredited qualifications. The Swansea University would own 10% of the Kuwaiti medical school. The Shifa'a was expected to have a turnover of £450 million within 5 years. However, other UK Universities have found returns on similar projects far less than promised and some have had to close overseas campuses.<br />
<br />
<b>Professor Clement has form on dubious overseas degrees. </b>He was involved in a scandal about validation of external degrees some time ago, some given to colleges abroad and other to UK based institutions not thought to be of the proper standard..<br />
<br />
The University of Wales tried to award external degrees and had sufficient difficulties to wind up the scheme In 2011 their validation was withdrawn from schemes for the 11,675 degree courses offered externally.under the auspices of the University of Wales. There were degrees issued by a wide variety of institutions including bible colleges in Russia, Chinese medicine taught in Barcelona and other subjects in small UK colleges whose staff did not appear properly qualified. There had been few checks on the quality of the product endorsed. Validation procedures were exposed as inadequate and there was suspicion of corrupt practice. The scam was exposed by journalists, bloggers and eventually Private Eye.<br />
<br />
<b>WHO ACTUALLY BENEFITS HERE?</b><br />
<br />
Now what is this all about? Money for Swansea University? Difficult to say.<br />
KPMG claim that the project was originally fully approved by the university, but Swansea has now withdrawn its support. Their medical school has around 100 doctor training places per year for postgraduate students only. The UK course length is 4 years and these students will have already completed a 3 year degree previously. Were the Kuwaitis to be postgraduates too? I doubt it.<br />
<br />
Problems have apparently been identified with the arrangements but the actual reasons for the University's withdrawal from both the Kuwaiti Shifa'a project and also the Llanelli Wellness project are not yet clear.<br />
<br />
The private Wellness investor, Sterling Health, has also withdrawn from the Wellness project. No university has yet been found by Carmarthenshire County Council to replace Swansea and allow City Deal Funding for the Wellness Centre, Neither has a bona fide private backer been recruited .which was also needed to qualify for UK and Welsh Government funds .<br />
<br />
The County Council is likely to "go it alone " and borrow all the funds to build the large Neurosciences themed business park when the planning problems raised by NRW have been clarified and addressed.The council taxpayers of Carmarthenshire may bear the brunt eventually with higher taxation and even cuts in services.. At least £250 million has probably been borrowed already and at least £2 million spent. The final bill if the project goes ahead could be well over £300 million ,<br />
<br />
There is still no sign of the Wellness project business plan which was drawn up by Professor Marc Clement but not deemed suitable to be released to the public after appraisal by the County Council's Executive Board. With 2000 new jobs to be provided at £150,000 per head you would think the plan has to be credible? Apparently not.<br />
<br />
Wales has a considerable deficit in medical education and does not train the number of medical practitioners or nurses needed for our country. What the hell are Swansea Academics and a Senior Local Government Civil servant doing by planning to sell medical science degrees to middle eastern students? Its a kick in the teeth for our own youngsters who cannot even get into a medical or nursing school due to shortage of places. Were the "proceeds" ever likely to be used to expand our own medical and nursing schools or to line the pockets of others? Was there ever a likelihood of profit anyway?<br />
<br />
This a recurring Welsh Government and Welsh Local Government Theme of grandiose plans , landmark buildings and legacy projects with vague prospects of delivering real economic growth or improvements to infrastructure. The Circuit of Wales is another example of a grand plan which did not work out. Maybe the Llanelli Wellness Centre can turn £300 million or more of public money into 2,000 jobs and a scientific wellness centre which will turn around the prospects of South Carmarthenshire, but in the absence of the background research and expressions of interest by firms who allegedly wanted to rent the buildings, us ordinary members of the public are in the dark and there is no convincing evidence. I have questioned the man who is borrowing the millions required, no doubt inspired by the secret business case. He is Cllr David Jenkins, but no answer as yet from him.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFhRGKh9P-H_104C7qPN95UvBmVU0yjf0_8m_0ckey-oaZUrcmP65gHdqT9q_OPvWhyL_NMHpJtuVRtlW5qdh6M8c8F5K3UgTKwm9MC8RUG-T1jUinot1tQnha0HLQe48E1zDK-BqORN7/s1600/David+Jenkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFhRGKh9P-H_104C7qPN95UvBmVU0yjf0_8m_0ckey-oaZUrcmP65gHdqT9q_OPvWhyL_NMHpJtuVRtlW5qdh6M8c8F5K3UgTKwm9MC8RUG-T1jUinot1tQnha0HLQe48E1zDK-BqORN7/s1600/David+Jenkins.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Jenkins, Plaid Councillor and Executive Board Member for Finance<br />
Carmarthenshire County Council</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
If we want to be a decent country we should not allow ourselves to be victimised and robbed by the "get your area rich quick" schemes so often sold to our Government and Local Authorities. We do not need majestic palaces built on large areas of barren (cheap) land, often in inconvenient and unsuitable places. We need to raise the standards of the whole nation. Its not the pretty shiny fantasy images we need, but the basic improvements in our own communities to fulfil the needs and aspirations of ordinary people.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Siân
</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Caiach</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></span>
</div>
<br /></div>
People Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265248205061545566noreply@blogger.com1