You can tell the Tories haven’t got many councillors (or members) in the Valleys when they claim to have won a council seat in Rhondda.
In truth, the seat is nowhere near the Rhondda – that is, if you know where the boundaries are of those two big and several minor valleys.
The claim was made several times during the Welsh Tory conference.
No-one spelled out name or ward.
For the ward concerned has never been in Rhondda. And when the Rhondda was important, the ward in particular never really existed.
For Joel Stephen James is councillor for Llantwit Fardre ward. Some journalists spotted there was something wrong with the Tory claim. But they seemed not to know the area in question well enough.
The closest they could throw their insults at the Tories was to say that the unnamed ward was in RCT. In fact, it’s in the “T” section – Taff Ely (ie Pontypridd). And it’s in the Ely rather than the Taff section of that old district council area.
Mind you, as far as Mr James is concerned, it’s in the only street which really shows his political allegiance (I presume). He lives in Queen’s Drive in Crown Hill. A very appropriate address.
He should perhaps thank his lucky stars he is not saddled the address of one of his fellow (Independent) councillors -Aneurin Bevan Drive…
And talking about addresses, how about the boob perpetrated by Plaid Cymru. According to the party’s official material, its spring conference is being held later this month in “Weston Avenue” in Cardiff.
Sounds like somewhere with a connection to Weston-super-mare. Which might be entirely appropriate in some parts of our capital.
In fact, the conference is being held in one of the most recognisable addresses in the city, I would have thought – Western Avenue. And it wasn’t a pure typo : they used the same address in both languages.
Comments
I didn’t think Cardiff council approved of Rhodfa’r Gorllewin… they still try to pretend Welsh streetnames don’t exist outside the city centre.
True re Cardiff street names. At least Cardiff is not as nuff as Plaid-controlled Caerffili. A new estate at the Nantgarw end of town as all its streets named in Welsh. Unfortunately, the nice new street signs have had all the Welsh names translated into English…
I bet those Welsh names will never be used. A waste of money. Whose idea ? Well, before the last election Caerffili was Labour controlled. It sounds like one of those ideas which only the party of the people could think up.
By the way, ever thought why Cardiff has an obscene liking for names using the points of the compass. Western Avenue, Northern Avenue, Eastern Avenue (although the last-name may no longer be used).
Perhaps the town is so keen to cut itself off from the true Wales – not the Don Touhig version ! – and wants to avoid using the Welsh names of its districts.
Or perhaps no-one knows where each district begins and ends ?
It’s very different when you travel to the next town northwards – Caerffili has erected bold illustrated signposts naming each of its suburbs and estates. And very pleasant, too.