CAMBRIA POLITICO

Are you a criminal?

Jan 272009

We know who you are - you litterers, speeders, bloggers, complainers and burners of flags.

Make sure that you report all your neighbours, colleagues and friends before they do you first. Everything is now an offence according to the new criminal framework below. We know who you are and so do all the ‘authorities’ in Europe.

Hat tip: Devils Kitchen

This EU Council decision of 20th January [PDF] on the establishment of a pan-EU ‘criminal’ database includes the following ‘offences’:

Offences related to waste

Unintentional environmental offences

Insult of the State, Nation or State symbols

Insult or resistance to a representative of public authority

Public order offences, breach of the public peace

Revealing a secret or breaching an obligation of secrecy

Unintentional damage or destruction of property

Offences against migration law—an “Open category” (offences undefined thus all encompassing)

Offences against military obligations—an “Open category” (offences undefined thus all encompassing)

Unauthorised entry or residence

Other offences—an “Open category” (offences undefined thus all encompassing)

Other unintentional offences

Prohibition from frequenting some places

Prohibition from entry to a mass event

Placement under electronic surveillance (“fixed or mobile”—e.g., home, car, mobile phone etc)

Withdrawal of a hunting / fishing license

Prohibition to play certain games/sports

Prohibition from national territory

Personal obligation—an “Open category” (offences undefined thus all encompassing)

“Fine”—all fines, inc. minor non-criminal offences

Gotcha! If you have read this far, you will have definitely committed an offence and will appear on our pan-fried EU database of criminals. So there. Serves you right. See you all down at the ‘beach hotel’ in Swansea (where there is definitely no Internet access).

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The Green Green Grass of erm…Moscow?

Blood Boilers, Opinion 4 Responses »

Nov 272008

In a potential disaster for those of us that believe that Wales should become a self determining, self governing, devolved, ‘Nation once again’ (from the song by the Wolfe Tones) comes the news that NuLabour wants to sell off 14% of the entire landmass of our beautiful land in order to pay for their mismanagement of the UK economy.

Alwyn ap Huw has written:

The three (organisations) which are going to have a big effect on Wales are privatisation of the Royal Mint, which is currently in Llantrisant, the DVLA the major employer in the Swansea area and the Forestry commission.

Privatising the Forestry commission is a matter of particular concern. One out of every seven acres of the surface of Wales is owned by the Commission, the idea that Mr Darling could sell 14% of our country to private investors who may have little or no interest in our country is sobering, the thought that one seventh of our country could be owned by a Russian oligarch or a huge multinational with its headquarters half way around the world by this time next year is frightening. The fact that most of our elected politicians seem have ignored this issue is scandalous.

When you add to this the facts that most of the water and all that swims in our rivers, lakes and reservoirs is already in privatisated hands and even the air that we breathe is used by massive privately owned windfarms that despoil the landscape and export all their power generation (little as it is) to the National Grid, then you have to begin to wonder. What is left?

That a Labour government whose very roots and soul were formed in the political furnace of industrial South Wales should be responsible for this is beyond credulity. Mr.Rhodri Morgan, if all of this is sold off, you will no longer be able to walk on Llangrannog beach on your jollydays, firstly because you won’t be welcome and secondly because you will have to pay for the privilege and have sufficient points on your Tesco card – every little helps.

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Wringing the Wind Windfall. The rich get richer.

Blood Boilers, Environment 1 Response »

Sep 082008

Given the current syndrome in Westminster for wringing every last penny out of the populace, whether in taxes or more devious methods, it is little surprising to see that G. Brown & Co have been extracting almost £600 million out of the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation scheme, and hence adding considerably to our energy bills.

Set up in the 1980s, the scheme was intended to support renewable energy projects by guaranteeing a fixed price to developers for their electricity. Not only has this become a gold-mine for the developers, but it seems the government have their sticky fingers in the pile as well, at the same time shedding crocodile tears at the exorbitant charges being extracted by these greedy energy companies.

As usual the consumer is at the bottom of the pile, for shareholders of these companies have received no less than £1.6 billion. I wonder if these good folks will spare a thought for those poor elderly souls who will shiver in their homes this winter as they try to survive without any heating because they cannot afford it?

And meanwhile, wind turbines proliferate across our landscapes to fuel this avaricious goal, but little else.

By David Bellamy. Environmental Campaigner and Artist.

Team GB for Welsh Football?

Blood Boilers, News, News Scoops 13 Responses »

Aug 282008

New Labour allegedly plans to merge Wales’s national football and rugby teams into new “Great Britain” superteams in the wake of the successes of “Team GB” at the Beijing Olympics, a whistleblower on Gordon Brown’s political staff has revealed.

The whistleblower, believed to be a member of Gordon Brown’s Downing Street staff, who is Welsh, said she felt compelled to speak out in view of the “sheer madness” of policies aimed at creating a “new sense of Britishness” by removing bodies such as the Welsh Rugby Union and the Welsh Football Association by creating Great British teams to replace “the sub-national/regional teams of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”. These are, the official said, nothing less than “attempts to bolster support for an ailing Labour Party and the Prime Minister’s increasing unpopularity by pursuing a reinvigorated and naked ‘unionist’ agenda,” adding “This is not something I am prepared to support.”

The start of this process is seen as Brown’s demand for a “Great Britain” football team to take part in the 2012 London Olympics, described by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond as a “spectacular own goal”. “Instead of trying to brow beat the SFA, the IFA and the Football Association of Wales into a single team,” Mr Salmond continued, “Gordon Brown should abandon his campaign which threatens the identity of each of the home associations and their national squads.” There has been no comment so far from ministers in the Welsh Assembly. See here for more on this.

Wales, Scotland and the North of Ireland have already lost swathes of funding for sport and the arts as a result of the budgetary demands of London Olympics, whose facilities are being constructed against a backdrop of thinly disguised organisational chaos and deepening recessionary gloom.

The Government is reportedly putting pressure on football’s governing body, FIFA, to press for one major team to represent Great Britain in future international tournaments, which will mean the demise of independent Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland teams, first in football and then rugby.

If you don’t like what’s being planned then sign the petition … HERE

Update

“It’s great to be flying the Welsh flag on the world stage. My Dad’s born and bred in Wrexham and is Welsh through and through and so am I.” Says Olympic gold winner Tom James. -see article

Update
More evidence has been unearthed – see here

If you don’t like what’s being planned then sign the petition … HERE

Ed.Note: This post is by Cuneglas an occasional contributor to CP. Cuneglas is NOT Clive Betts who posts as Cambriapolitico. CP as stated in our terms and conditions do not necessarily agree with the views and statements expressed by their various contributors (some of whom are as mad as hatters).

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The empty rip-off that is the Olympics

Blood Boilers, Welsh Politics No Responses »

Aug 272008

A little table in the Independent on Sunday revealed the emptiness of claims that the Olympics in 2012 will be a festival that embraces the whole the UK – rather than just London and the southeast of England.

We were all told that the entire “country” would benefit from the event; that, in the words of a Statement of Opinion scribbled by a rag-tag gaggle of Labour AMs, “Wales looks forward to playing a full part in the 2012 Olympics”.

The truth as spelled out on Sunday is that the event and everything about it is being dominated by the home counties; and that the most Wales will get will be BBC TV pictures.

Wales – and the other regions of the UK – were supposed to be able to benefit in so many ways. The Independent looked at who was winning commercial contracts.

We already know how Wales – and the rest of the UK – has been skinned of national lottery funds to pay for the east London jamboree.

And that is not the only way we have been skinned. The Independent (print edition only, not on the web version) said 531 contracts had been signed. Of these, a massive 365 went to London companies; the south-east followed close behind with 102; then the east (ie east of London) with 53.

Beyond that, the figures are ludicrous. Wales has won only three; Northern Ireland, one (but as the UK is fighting as Team GB, the six counties have presumably already joined the republic); and Scotland nine.

Wales has of course by now won its own wee Assembly to fight for our rights. But don’t expect many of its members to expose the shame and sham of the rip-off that London – where our political masters live – has forced on us.

Peter Black is one of the few strong enough to speak out. He wrote on his blog yesterday, “London has sucked all the money and goodwill from the rest of the UK … leaving us with just a few crumbs. Now they want us to give more so as to match the Communist propaganda showpiece we have just witnessed.”

Surely our next job is to disinter the second Assembly’s committee report that was critical of the entire farce.

For, be sure of one thing – criticism of the London Olympics will from now on be viewed as anti-patriotic. And, as this State gets increasingly emptier in its beliefs, it will also get increasingly nationalistic, in the American sense. With the London tabloids screaming their best, rationality will totally quit these isles.

So, where will be the best place to book a holiday in August 2012 ? There’ll probably be more sense found in Baghdad. Or, if you fancy some peace, what about a trip around the monasteries and churches of Ethiopia ?

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It’s curtains for Lynne Neagle says BBC

Blood Boilers, Opinion, Welsh Assembly 3 Responses »

Aug 122008

Welsh Assembly members’ expenses claims included a £2,000 sofa, a £1,000 surround-sound TV, right down to a £2 glass bowl, it has been revealed by the BBC under the Freedom of information Act.

So what does this reveal about our trusted and underpaid AMs? That Lesley Griffiths (sofa so good) has a big bum? That Nick Ramsey (surround sound) is such a cool dude? That nice Lynne Neagle is a bookworm who hides behind fine and fancy curtains and offers her guests peanuts from a glass bowl?

Methinks we need more important detail than this please BBC. How many properties (second homes in Cardiff) have been paid for by the taxpayer in mortgage support for instance and have they been assessed for and paid the relevant taxes and been audited in the same way as the rest of us poor mortals are? I think we need to know so that an informed judgement can be made the next time they are up for election.

Personally, I think many of our AMs are grossly underpaid and under-rewarded for what they do; but… in the present skeptical climate and given some rotten apple examples in the Pork Palace of Westminster, other people don’t think the way I do. I am such a trusting soul. In Wales, we are very fortunate indeed not to have such poor representatives of the people as exist across the Severn.

Still, it doesn’t do any harm to have a look inside the pork barrel from time to time. Just in case. Does it?

Update: the pdf with all the details is here

Update: Wah hey! This story has attained PorkBuster status from Guido Fawkes

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Calling all MPs in Westminster (and AMs) – please please click below to spend your John Lewis allowance!

They get pissed – we pay

Blood Boilers, Gossip 1 Response »

Jul 222008

Cambria has been sent a press release by the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) quantifying the amount of booze our alcoholic elected masters in Westminster get through at our expense. Apparently the consumption is about the annual turnover of 35 pubs (and London pubs at that) and nearly £9000 per MP.

It would be interesting to know what the bar bill of the politicians that frequent the Eli Jenkins pub near the Senedd where the AMs drown their sorrows or forget to stub out their cigars.

Now many of us like a drink or two and some of us may even pay for a round but this is simply taking the piss.

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Has Leighton Andrews fawned enough?

Blood Boilers, Opinion 7 Responses »

Jul 112008

Rhondda AM Leighton Andrews is reported as demanding that Cambria’s ‘editor’ apologise for claiming that Rhondda schoolchildren were forced to turn out “North Korean-style” during a visit to the area by Prince William in May. Henry Jones Davies (Cambria’s publisher, not its editor as Andrews stated) made the remarks on BBC Wales’s Dragon’s Eye programme in June.

Andrews is quoted as saying: “This magazine is running a campaign to prevent Prince William being invested as Prince of Wales.” Not true. Certainly a report on the icambria weblog revealed a new PR offensive in Wales by the Royal Family’s spin-doctors, but the magazine has never covered the story. Out of this report grew a petition aimed at sending a ‘shot across the bows’ of the British establishment in the event that it was contemplating another investiture similar to the event staged in 1969 at the behest of the then Secretary of State for Wales, the egregious George Thomas. The ceremony was widely seen as part of a strategy to counter the rising tide of nationalism at the time.

Cambria’s publisher said today: “This is the typical sort of impudent response from a breed of London-centric politicians who fall over themselves in sycophantic frenzy to kow-tow to the British establishment whenever and wherever possible. Presumably they do so in the hope of being tossed some meaningless bauble of an honour when they have fawned enough.

They have little understanding of Welsh history and even less respect for it. Devolution is, as Ron Davies so rightly said, a process – not an event. The inexorable development of that process – now forging ahead – will lead, inevitably, to full self-government – independence – for Wales, and the attainment of a sovereignty which will belong to the Welsh nation and to it alone. Young people in Wales, and this will include, when they are old enough to speak for themselves, the young people of the Rhondda, are not remotely concerned with the trappings of monarchy and all the paraphernalia of patronage and condescension that goes with it. Their loyalty is to their country and they are becoming aware of a new reality: the bright future and the dignity that independence will bring.”

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Older Entries Newer Entries

Are you a criminal?

The Green Green Grass of erm…Moscow?

Wringing the Wind Windfall. The rich get richer.

Team GB for Welsh Football?

The empty rip-off that is the Olympics

It’s curtains for Lynne Neagle says BBC

They get pissed – we pay

Has Leighton Andrews fawned enough?

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