When I was working for the London technical press, one weekly journal got quite excited about the launch of the daily air service between Cardiff and the North.
The magazine, aimed at local authority professionals, were extremely surprised about the development.
You can be sure, that wasn’t because they thought it such a grand idea. More likely it was because their readers – in one of the technical services – were quite amazed that such money was being spent in the light of the existence of roads and railways.
My stories for the magazine predated the coalition government’s decision to spend quite substantially on up grading the rail link, and its decision to prioritise the north-south highway.
Some might say here lies a nationalistic-style prioritisation which runs counter to the needs of Wales … apart from politicians wanting to reach Cardiff.
Let us remember how important Cardiff is in transport terms. The international baccaleuriate organisation is pulling out, apart from some specialist functions, because the city it too difficult to get to from the rest of the world. Which is another way of saying that almost the only places you can get to from the city’s airport are Spanish holiday resorts.
Although there are big adverts in Cardiff central station from Lufthansa … you’ve got to go to Bristol to find them.
That northern air link is threatening to turn out bad for Plaid. The Penarth Times carries on attack from an intelligent left-wing Labour supporter on the coalition, which focuses on Plaid, and refers to the “heavily subsidised Ieuan Air Link”. Even Plaid people have been known to refer to “Air Ieuan”.
The party replies that it was the previous Labour government which set up the daily flight to Holyhead, not far from the party leader’s home in Llangefni.
They then add that important users of the flight are civil servants who are running Wales. After all, it takes around five hours to reach Holyhead by road from Cardiff, and four hours to Llandudno.
So how much does Ieuan himself use the flight? One way each week he goes by plane (to Cardiff), while the other is by train.
What about Labour AMs? Unfortunately, that party doesn’t possess any Assembly seats in the north-west. The electors don’t seem to vote for them …
In other words, this flight could turn into an electoral embarrassment.
Intelligent Labour supporter? Always supposing such people exist, I read the letter and thought it was little better than a smeary piece of personal innuendo. Find me a non-taxpayer subsidised transport link in Wales, please…
I’m an ordinary member of the public and Ive used it quite a few times, and as I’ve done so Ive met people working for, say RNIB Wales, HEFCW, company directors, peopel visiting family and often the odd tourist.
If the NuLab smear gang want to attack a company that employs local people and runs a decent service because politicians form other parties use it, then they’re scraping the barrell even further.
Isn;t this part of the usual Labour accusation that transport between north and south is always ‘political’ whereas transport in south wales (where they have their politicians) is always ‘infrastructurally necessary’?. Rubbish.
“The Penarth Times carries on attack from an intelligent left-wing Labour supporter on the coalition, which focuses on Plaid, and refers to the “heavily subsidised Ieuan Air Link”.”
Oh my god, say it isn’t so… not … no, please… not… The Penarth Times! It’ll be all over the world, pored over by opinion formers and world leaders from here to Pnomh Pen. The Times, I could have taken, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Le Figaro, Di Zeit, Der Spiegel, Hola and Hello! .. we could have buried it. But now that the Penarth Times have got hold of it, there’s no telling where it will end.
Ieuan may as well resign now. Plaid should all commit hari-kiri in front of Huw Lewis. The fall-out from the deputy first minister’s use of his local air service once a week to reach his capital city is unthinkable. Plaid are finished. Wales is now a Labour stronghold again, clean and free of corruption and as prosperous and healthy as it ever was.
(Haven’t you rather over-reacted here, Cambria?, he asks, wearying of the joke.)
What a total tosser you are, kwk. Why do you think anyone gives a burp about your puerile opinions?
Ronson Electric
I do it is good, suppose I am a total tosser now. Ah well such is life, oops, pardon me!!
Ooh Ronson Electric – and yet here you are, taking the trouble this beautiful weekend to vent your spleen against something you allegedly don’t care about.
If I wind self-important twits like you up, and I clearly do, then job done, I say.