CAMBRIA POLITICO

A Newport ruin. Photocredit S.Wales Argus

Newport planning department have rejected ‘ on its merits’ the pulling down of a ruined farmhouse eyesore adjacent to the 18th hole at the Celtic Manor golfing resort. This has stimulated a huge outcry from some quarters claiming that - a) this will ruin forever people’s image of Wales when they visit or view on TV the Ryder Cup and b) this decision is somehow a classic demonstration of the parochialism and infighting that we Welsh are apparently overly prone to and which has held back our Nation for centuries and moreover is the (incredible) reason why we don’t win all our international Rugby games (according to rugby coach Steve Hansen) .

I disagree.

Firstly, is Sir Terry Matthews and his monstrous eyesore of a golfing palace at Celtic Manor really what we as a Nation wish to portray as the ‘best of Wales’? Are we so poor in culture , landscape and history that hosting the Ryder Cup is seen by some as the pinnacle of our achievements over the centuries? Clearly no.

Secondly, even though the derelict ‘ruin’ in question is admittedly a ‘monstrous carbuncle’ to quote a famous person of German Sax Coburg lineage keen on classical architecture, we have not yet had the real reasons behind Newport Planning’s decision to preserve this Grade II building. Surely it cannot be because of spite or envy as is claimed? Old buildings aren’t ‘listed’ for no apparent reason, are they?

Thirdly, it is claimed that the ruin will spoil the view of the visitors and TV audience for the Ryder Cup. I disagree. People will be watching the golf, I presume. I have been watching the Open at St.Andrew’s on TV and didn’t see much at all of the surrounding buildings or area around the golf course. In addition, it certainly didn’t inspire me to visit Scotland as a tourist so why should hosting the Ryder Cup stimulate more tourists to Wales?? It won’t. Americans don’t visit Wales in any case. I and others have never understood why Tourism Wales and the WAG have put so much marketing and infrastructure resource into this – the only beneficiary being Sir Terry and Celtic Manor. The idea that golf is ‘good for business’ and the economy is ridiculous and out of date and, if anything, shows how abysmally ignorant the WAG and other public sector supporters of this event are about business. Deals are not ‘done on a golf course’ any more.

Sir Terry is a brilliant (business)man and worth all the accolades that have been heaped upon him, I’m sure. But let’s face it his fortune was not and never could have been ‘ made in Wales’ as I’m sure he would be the first to admit. He may be frustrated and angry in having this planning decision go against him but this is insignificant compared to the frustrations that we as a People have faced over the years and contrary to some commentators arrogant opinions these have NOT been self-inflicted.

Police turned out in more-than-usual force for the first demonstration of what seems likely to be a long – and perhaps nasty – battle against a new Assembly motorway. They obviously want to ensure that the Campaign Against the Levels Motorway (Calm) takes place in a truly calm atmosphere.

Whether the demonstration outside the Senedd will be a precursor of peaceful demos is perhaps dubious – I suppose it all depends who comes across the border to lend (perhaps unwanted) help.

The particular cause of bad congestion on the M4 around Newport is its reduction of lanes from six to four because of the Maesglas tunnels.

Neil Crumpton, the highly-respected campaigner for Friends of the Earth who has been busy on road issues for so many years, was certainly very “calm” when I came across him outside Ty Hywel, the Assembly’s office block.

He argues that the road is now unaffordable because recent events mean its cost has risen from £300m to £600m. Although he admits the widening of the present motorway and tunnels is a possible alternative, he would rather such money were spend on a series of small alternatives.

One such is the growing network of railways in the south-east. Although there is now no talk of electrification, modern diesel trains (admittedly not in use yet on the lines in question) mean that we can increasingly talk of a close-frequency metro network.

And that network is growing. Earlier this year, the Ebbw Vale branch was reopened. Earlier this month, albeit almost totally unpublicised, the first stage was taken by allocating £2.6m to restart services from Ebbw Vale to Newport by summer 2010.

Mr Crumpton spoke about opening new stations on existing lines around Newport to create far more of an urban operation.

But he didn’t seem to realise that full potential will not be gained from the Newport line until more stations were opened along the route – compared with pre-Beeching days, a number of quite important stations have not been reopened.

Mike German, of the “lousy Libs”, hit back at Labour’s local elections political broadcast of a day or so ago by pointing out it epitomised precisely why people think so little of politicians.

The line about “lousy Libs” was repeated throughout the broadcast as it laid into Lib Dem allegedly poor leadership and stewardship of Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend and Wrexham.

Much play was made of the cost of using Swansea’s rebuilt Leisure Centre beside the new harbour front museum. I never saw the broadcast, but I bet it never said anything about the centre having to be suddenly closed on safety grounds because of the previous council’s administration appalling stewardship.

And who ran the previous administration? Surely it couldn’t have been Labour ?

On entry charges, Mike German told his weekly press briefing that the charge was higher at the Afan Lido in Neath Port Talbot. And who runs NPT ? Labour ?

Wrexham was slated for hiring more-effective PCSOs, which have cut crime by 34 pc because of their extra powers, than community wardens. Yet who has appointed them in Torfaen ? Surely not Labour ?

The Lib Dems slammed Labour over their “wholly negative” broadcast. Of course, they would say that. But the attack was filmed more likely because the Lib Dems were seen as dangerous, rather than because they were seen as “easy opponents”, as Mr German rather disingenuously claimed.

Plaid were quietly pleased that the wounded Rottweiler of Transport House had taken his teeth in another direction; they were openly critical of the attack-dog’s methods and the style of old-style filming used. “Amateurish,” said one nationalist.

In truth, this will surely be the election when the Lib Dems consolidate themselves in all four councils where they currently fly high, add Newport to that list, and gain or regain significant status in Ceredigion, Conwy, Flintshire, Powys and even Gwynedd.

Farmhousegate – a defense

Surely a metro can beat a motorway

Just who is lousy ?

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