tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40691893621291679462024-03-18T07:45:22.840+00:00Alun WilliamsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger484125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-76401674316635712402017-05-10T14:30:00.000+01:002017-05-10T14:50:26.553+01:00Aberystwyth Town Council Election Results<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">These are the full election results for Aberystwyth Town Council. Those elected are in <b>bold</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>North </b>(3 seats)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Mark Strong (Plaid) 346</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Talat Chaudhri (Plaid) 240</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Sara Hammel (Plaid) 227</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Bryony Davies (Lib Dem) 225</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Niall Daly (Lib Dem) 149</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Julies Parker (Lib Dem) 109 Plaid +1, Ind -1</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Bronglais </b>(4)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Endaf Edwards - Elected Unopposed</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Lucy Huws - Elected Unopposed</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Sue Jones-Davies - Elected Unopposed</b></span></div>
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<b style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Alun Williams - Elected Unopposed </b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">No change</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Central </b>(3)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>David Lees (Lib Dem) 174</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Emily Price (Lib Dem) 164</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Michael Chappell (Lib Dem) 154</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Jeff Smith (Plaid) 138</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Paulina Kubala (Plaid) 135 Lib Dem +1, Plaid -1</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Rheidol </b>(4)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Mair Benjamin (Lib Dem) 297</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Claudine Young (Labour) 243</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Rhodri Francis (Plaid) 234</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Mari Turner (Plaid) 222</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Martin Shewring (Ind) 207</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Brendan Somers (Plaid) 193</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Marise Lloyd-Evans (Ind) 175</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Matthew Woolfall-Jones (Plaid) 147 Plaid +1, Labour +1, Ind -1, Lib Dem -1</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Penparcau </b>(5)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Steve Davies (Plaid) 474</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Dylan Lewis (Plaid) 372</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Charlie Kingsbury (Lib Dem) 326</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Alex Mangold (Labour) 274</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Brenda Haines (Lib Dem) 258</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Elliot Alker (Lib Dem) 225</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Dafydd ap Ffranc (Plaid) 221</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Kevin Price (Plaid) 217 Lib Dem +1, Lab +1, </span>Plaid - 2</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Overall Totals</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Plaid Cymru 11 (-1)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Lib Dem 6 (+1)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Labour 2 (+2)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; letter-spacing: 0px;">Independent 0 (-2)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Plaid Cymru continue to have an overall </span>majority<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> on </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Town Council with 11 out of the 19 seats. The result in North Ward means that Plaid now have all elected representatives for the north and east sides of the town, at both town and county level, for the first time. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The other ward entirely controlled by one party is Central where the Lib Dems have all councillors, although the turnout here was very low. In contrast, Rheidol and Penparcau have three parties represented in each. Plaid were disappointed to lose two of their previous four councillors in Penparcau but they now have half the representation in Rheidol ward where they also won the county council seat in a close contest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Labour will be pleased to have re-entered the Council with two new members and there are no longer any Independents on the scene. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">At county level, Plaid have four out of the six seats in the town - North, Bronglais, Rheidol and the first Penparcau seat - with the Lib Dems holding Central and the second in Penparcau.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-40505850466950835972017-05-08T19:42:00.001+01:002017-05-08T23:30:03.973+01:00County Council elections in Ceredigion - Summary of Results<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G3vVqnOpRFNxcU4rTM3C-SeJQaLqjPXyxnDS07DSqKLqOY7vc66p8NaOhRqNDrP7ieBsYx0tiLuOzENa_sFPg1Otd5-769W5ohugjqA-8yFHC3MOOiiRTmyjb-vFqpgg8GG9pVvMckkI/s1600/C_Dx1gTWAAEunMq.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G3vVqnOpRFNxcU4rTM3C-SeJQaLqjPXyxnDS07DSqKLqOY7vc66p8NaOhRqNDrP7ieBsYx0tiLuOzENa_sFPg1Otd5-769W5ohugjqA-8yFHC3MOOiiRTmyjb-vFqpgg8GG9pVvMckkI/s640/C_Dx1gTWAAEunMq.jpg-large.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">The political picture in Ceredigion is relatively unchanged following the local elections. Plaid Cymru won 46% of the vote and have a net gain so far of one seat, having gained four and lost three. The main Independent group lost a net two seats and the Lib Dems also gained one. Full results </span><a href="http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/English/Your-Council/Voting-Elections/election2017/Pages/Ceredigion-County-Council-Elections.aspx" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">here</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Llandyfriog seat is still to be decided following the untimely death of one of the candidates.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The new gains for Plaid were:</span></span></div>
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<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Endaf Edwards in Aberystwyth Rheidol from Independent Aled Davies</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gethin Davies in Aberporth from the Independent/UKIP councillor Gethin James</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Clive Davies in Penparc, near Cardigan, who won the seat of the recently retired Independent Haydn Lewis.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Maldwyn Lewis in Troedyraur, who was unopposed. He had been an Independent councillor in the previous administration but stood for Plaid Cymru in </span>this<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> election.</span></span></span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Losses for Plaid were:</span></span></div>
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<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Peter Evans in Llandysul to former council leader Keith Evans</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">John Lumley in Ciliau Aeron to an Independent</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The second seat in Penparcau, where new Plaid candidate Dylan Lewis only fell short by four votes against the Lib Dems. Dylan had been selected to stand by Plaid several months ago instead of the sitting Plaid councillor Lorrae Jones-Southgate. She then left the party to join </span>the <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Independent group on the Council and then came fourth in this election. Penparcau’s other seat was held by Plaid’s Steve Davies who finished top of the poll for the second election running. </span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">One of the results most celebrated on Twitter feeds across Wales was the win by Plaid's Gethin Davies in Aberporth who knocked out UKIP’s Gethin James. James actually had ‘Independent’ against his name on the ballot paper but is strongly identified with UKIP, having stood for them last year in the Welsh Assembly elections and been working as a research assistant for UKIP Assembly Member Nathan Gill since then. Previously a Ceredigion Cabinet Member, he had been sacked from that post by Council Leader Ellen ap Gwynn when he announced that he'd joined UKIP. There are now no UKIP councillors in Wales.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Ceredigion councillor numbers now look like this:</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Plaid Cymru 19 (+1)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Independents 11 (-2)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Lib Dems 8 (+1)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Llais Annibynnol 2 (-)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Labour 1 (-)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The figures are provisional pending the outcome of the delayed election in the currently Plaid-held Llandyfriog seat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">With no group having an overall majority of the 42 council seats, the Council’s new administration will be decided in negotiation between the different groups in the next few days.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-8996775335227913682017-04-15T23:20:00.000+01:002017-04-15T23:20:06.005+01:00Ymgeiswyr Cyngor Tref Aberystwyth Town Council Candidates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-41825815192846057952017-04-15T00:33:00.000+01:002017-04-15T14:00:56.516+01:00Ymgeiswyr Etholiad Ceredigion Election Candidates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>YMGEISWYR ETHOLIAD CEREDIGION ELECTION CANDIDATES 2017</b></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglZFRSulHKLPB5jYrrLeqFD7SzQRRp8nW3DIZTrhko2Fp-0rdIhjLj8t_88az0QUCOokOg5oPLZxfgh0vbI0icDZ3PXJMZKoUNyFkxofJbt8k4qOkW-AC36-7jMwHuw4wp0gG6Eg9iZoQ/s1600/Screenshot+2017-04-15+00.17.46.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglZFRSulHKLPB5jYrrLeqFD7SzQRRp8nW3DIZTrhko2Fp-0rdIhjLj8t_88az0QUCOokOg5oPLZxfgh0vbI0icDZ3PXJMZKoUNyFkxofJbt8k4qOkW-AC36-7jMwHuw4wp0gG6Eg9iZoQ/s640/Screenshot+2017-04-15+00.17.46.png" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD8iYHNTPMJizfuhod36qvC6sXfPtKfyfz0RAQMtgqkUOjc5EFWOqGYGQqDhFhTE1K_EoEAMO9Vpi2jeA6xVM2EVI6zKxCneEOVaTIGXIT8azLje2LV1rRj2HHOQ6D4Jbqo4Lkbhiv7mn/s1600/Screenshot+2017-04-14+23.42.01.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD8iYHNTPMJizfuhod36qvC6sXfPtKfyfz0RAQMtgqkUOjc5EFWOqGYGQqDhFhTE1K_EoEAMO9Vpi2jeA6xVM2EVI6zKxCneEOVaTIGXIT8azLje2LV1rRj2HHOQ6D4Jbqo4Lkbhiv7mn/s640/Screenshot+2017-04-14+23.42.01.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-33407401536963853732017-03-08T00:21:00.000+00:002017-03-08T23:48:49.096+00:00Ceredigion - achieving despite austerity cuts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This is my speech to the Plaid Cymru Spring Conference in Newport on some of the things achieved in Ceredigion in the fields of transport, waste and carbon </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">management</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">:</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">One year into Ceredigion’s first Plaid Cymru-led administration (<i>which began in 2012</i>), the Conservative & Lib Dem austerity cuts hit us. And, like every other council, we were faced with devastating cuts in our core grant from the Welsh Government - in fact over 25% of our revenue budget.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So it’s been tough - very tough - as it has been for all councils. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">But, from the ashes of those cuts imposed on us, we’ve managed to do some useful things.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It’s easy to be gloomy. So we started an initiative called <a href="https://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/English/Resident/caruceredigion/Pages/default.aspx">Caru Ceredigion </a>which encourages our residents to think positive, love where they live, take responsibility and do their bit to contribute.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For example we’ve encouraged people to get out there and do a spot of litter-picking with equipment provided by the Council. And</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> maybe it’s no coincidence that, this year, Ceredigion has the tidiest streets in Wales, according to the <a href="https://www.keepwalestidy.cymru/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=82300fb7-b6f5-4b4b-8d09-3f146e69d167">latest report by Keep Wales Tidy</a> on behalf of the Welsh Government.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Transport’s been more difficult. Because, on top of the core cuts to council budgets, local bus services have been subject to additional cuts to their grants from Welsh Government. Despite that, we’ve worked co-operatively with them where we can, like on the T1 and T5 Trawscymru long-distance routes through Ceredigion and the innovative Bwcabus, which provides a service on request for areas that lack the population to sustain regular services. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">At a time when buses are thought to be declining in popularity, all of these services I’ve mentioned have shown an increase in passengers every year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">With rail, Ceredigion took a lead, amongst others, in the successful campaign for a peak-hourly service on the Cambrian line between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury. Since this started in 2015 we’ve seen an increase in passenger numbers of an astonishing 41%. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">All this shows that if you provide quality public transport services, and properly market them, people will use them. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">And that’s what I expect to happen when we get an Aberystwyth - Carmarthen line.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">However the thing we’ve become best known for in Ceredigion is our high recycling rate. We’ve achieved this by maintaining a simple collection system that people like and by educating and encouraging our residents to recycle rather than penalising them if they get it wrong. And the result of this is that we’re the top recycling authority, not only in Wales, but in the whole UK, with 70% of our waste being recycled. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Early on in the administration we took a decision to invest in renewable energy and energy conservation. And we put together a carbon management plan which had a target of reducing the council’s carbon emissions by 15% within five years. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We invested in a biomass district heating scheme in Aberystwyth whereby a single boiler using wood chips heats four large buildings. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">We installed hundreds of photo-voltaic cells on the roofs of our buildings around the county - 200 on one building alone. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">And we’ve invested in scores of smaller energy conservation measures. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">And so far, in the fourth year of the five-year carbon management programme, we’ve already exceeded our 15% target and we’re now aiming to go higher.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This has saved almost 3,000 tons of carbon and, in terms of austerity, it’s on schedule to save £2.7 million pounds worth of tax-payers money - quite a feat for a small authority. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">That money can now go into maintaining other services that might otherwise have been lost.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There’s no question that much of what I’ve mentioned wouldn’t have happened without Plaid Cymru leading the Council and using our core values to direct council policy. That’s the difference that Plaid Cymru can make, even at the most challenging time that local government in Wales has ever known.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So the message is that despite the appalling austerity cuts that are continuing to come down from Westminster, Plaid Cymru-led councils are still finding ways to deliver exemplary services and progressive initiatives in innovative and imaginative ways. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Because, despite everything we’re faced with, we’ve got the vision to take Wales forward. And we can take another big step on May 4th.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-83014999955403264532017-01-08T22:03:00.001+00:002017-01-08T22:11:28.713+00:00EU membership worth £57 million a year to the Ceredigion economy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In recent years the Ceredigion economy has been directly benefitting by an average of £57.6 million a year from our European Union membership, according to Ceredigion Council officers and based on figures from the <a href="https://www.cer.org.uk/">Centre for European Reform</a>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">£44 million of this is <a href="http://gov.wales/topics/environmentcountryside/farmingandcountryside/cap/?lang=en">CAP</a> payments to farmers and the rest is structural funds and research grants to our universities. The figures equate to £768 per person in the county per year. The more indirect benefits, like trade and hosting EU students are not included in these figures</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk87vWTFM9McvaDwULuk6xMxME7t6SqMBYs0EMGMKij5Y_A_TC_rySIkBgpv02FInH8KC6mgYv31I9XQ-LZweGeAL2ihe9GPOjSW4MlvLWGO8flroZWbmMWJ7kJ326FI5ma7rsiKkJzDq6/s1600/slide_24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk87vWTFM9McvaDwULuk6xMxME7t6SqMBYs0EMGMKij5Y_A_TC_rySIkBgpv02FInH8KC6mgYv31I9XQ-LZweGeAL2ihe9GPOjSW4MlvLWGO8flroZWbmMWJ7kJ326FI5ma7rsiKkJzDq6/s400/slide_24.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ceredigion is unusual in that our economy is much more dependent than most on a combination of agriculture and higher education, two sectors that receive considerable money from Europe. In addition we receive structural funds due to our status within the EU as a ‘<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_policy_of_the_European_Union">less developed region</a>’. This combination makes us particularly vulnerable if our present EU funding is not directly replaced to the same level when (if?) Brexit happens.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the nature and economic conditions of any future Brexit in a state of extreme uncertainty at the moment, the idea of the Westminster government being in a position to simply replace all of this money - even if it wanted to - seems highly optimistic. Even if they agreed to replace three quarters of it, that would still amount to a loss of over £14 million a year to the Ceredigion economy.</span></span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-40584344820864611682016-07-04T15:41:00.002+01:002016-07-04T15:56:37.313+01:00Aberystwyth and Ceredigion's vote to Remain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Saturday’s demonstration at the Bandstand on Aberystwyth Promenade in support of all nationalities living in the town (above) following the EU Referendum was an impressive show of solidarity arranged with only a few days notice through social media.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Ceredigion as a whole voted 54.6 to 45.4% to remain in the EU on a 74.4% turnout and Aberystwyth’s reputation as a strongly pro-EU town is confirmed by the detail of the voting. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The cross-party group of Remain campaigners at the count on the night of June 23rd, comprising local Plaid, Labour and Lib Dem activists, took samples, </span>mainly<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> quite large, of most of the ward votes across the county as they were being counted. In ordinary elections, the different parties keep these kinds of samples to themselves as useful information about where their strengths and weaknesses lie for future campaigning but, since the parties were all working together on the referendum campaign, there was no need this time. The figures given are not the actual ward results since no formal tally was made of these but, with many of the samples being half or more of the vote, they are thought to be very accurate.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The result of the sampling for Aberystwyth wards was:</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Bronglais: 77% Remain</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Canol / Central: 76% Remain</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Gogledd / North: 75% </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Remain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Rheidol: 66% </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Remain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Penparcau: 60% </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Remain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This is an impressive result and fully justifies Aber’s reputation as a </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">progressive,</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> outward-looking town.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Although Bronglais ward’s 77% was the highest Remain vote in Ceredigion, other areas in the north of the county were also very high. Furnace and Taliesin, heading north towards Machynlleth, voted 76% and 73% respectively for Remain whilst, to the south and east of the town, the figure for Llanfarian was 74% and Capel Seion 71%.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Looking at these figures it’s easy to wonder why the overall Remain figure for Ceredigion was not higher than 54.6%. The answer lies in the south of the county. Heading south from Aberystwyth, the first area actually returning a Leave vote was Blaenpennal on the road to Tregaron. The voting is more varied in this middle part of the county, although Remain is still in the majority.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The key divide in the county seems to be a few miles south of Aberaeron and Lampeter. If you take a line from between Aberaeron and New Quay inland to somewhere near Llanybydder (see below), the majority north of that line voted Remain whilst the majority to the south voted Leave. The Cardigan Remain vote was 46%, whilst the lowest Remain vote in the county was Tregroes, near Llandysul at 32%. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">The reason for the divide may well be found in the kind of demographics relating to age and education levels that have explained voting patterns in the rest of Wales and England. However, as can be seen in the previous post, the whole of the county is a net beneficiary of EU funding and, in time, is likely to suffer equally if we leave.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cai Larsen’s excellent blog (in Welsh) about the results in Gwynedd can be seen <a href="http://oclmenai.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/patrymau-pleidleisio-gwynedd-ddydd-iau.html">here</a></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-35862140541438348622016-06-18T22:17:00.000+01:002016-06-20T10:39:07.257+01:00Vote REMAIN for the sake of our local economy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Whilst there are many good reasons why we should vote to remain in the European Union on Thursday, these are being thoroughly covered elsewhere and there's probably a need to raise awareness of the stakes for us in Wales and, since I'm writing from Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion specifically.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVc3EQf7xMqtbHG3l64n19pjQOk70H5aS1j26xKItOy8s9-AthRpCh_FxyExEsa4eumUQ_DKTDEKaSEnYjaDZ-H9QQN0nereUtAZMM9wKe0-QHSLowzOKs8mnKE24ITfG9a4Y2UDoxXPq/s1600/Ci7pXwsXAAA0jNE.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVc3EQf7xMqtbHG3l64n19pjQOk70H5aS1j26xKItOy8s9-AthRpCh_FxyExEsa4eumUQ_DKTDEKaSEnYjaDZ-H9QQN0nereUtAZMM9wKe0-QHSLowzOKs8mnKE24ITfG9a4Y2UDoxXPq/s400/Ci7pXwsXAAA0jNE.jpg-large.jpeg" width="341" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Most of Wales is designated as a ‘less developed region’ of the EU </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">by virtue of our low overall income</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> in line with much of Portugal, Southern Italy, Greece and most of Eastern Europe. It often comes as a surprise to people that we are so isolated in Western Europe in terms of our poverty and on a par </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">with</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> these places but the map illustrates this very well (click to enlarge). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As such, in line with those other regions marked out in yellow, we are given European funding to help us develop. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As a result, Wales benefits by a net total of around </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://sites.cardiff.ac.uk/wgc/files/2016/05/Estimating-Wales%E2%80%99-Net-Contribution-to-the-European-Union.pdf">£245 million a year</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"> from EU membership. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">In Ceredigion this has resulted in funding for some 80 different community and infrastructure projects in the county over the past eight years. </span></span><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">These and other initiatives have led to the sort of gains in this graphic:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">And this one...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">All t</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">his is on top of around £44 million received by Ceredigion farmers each year as part of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and the tens of millions of pounds of research funding received by the county’s universities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The benefits of all this to our local economy, culture and environment have been immense and undeniable. If we didn't receive such EU funding, Ceredigion would be a very different place, with far greater unemployment and depopulation of young people and significantly fewer community facilities. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It defies belief that, in the event of us leaving the EU, a Westminster government would simply agree to maintain this level of funding for us, especially given the competing pressures in England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s recent warning of a major economic crash in the event of a vote to leave.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">If you care about Ceredigion and the survival of other similar communities around Wales into the future, a strong vote to remain in Europe is essential.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-67185359201603886442016-05-17T20:10:00.000+01:002016-10-31T00:03:51.409+00:00Peter Edwards 1889-1983 - a forgotten medical pioneer from Aberystwyth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">This is a </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">speech</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"> I recently gave at the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">unveiling</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"> of a plaque to Dr Peter Edwards MBE in the grounds of Bronglais H</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ospital</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"> in Aberystwyth</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Most of us first became aware of the achievements of Dr Peter Edwards when an article appeared in <a href="http://www.aberystwythego.co.uk/george-simpson-the-story-of-dr-peter-edwards/">last May’s edition of Aberystwyth Ego magazine</a> in which local man George Simpson was interviewed. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">George graphically described the positive effect Dr Edwards had had on his life and how he wanted his achievements to be properly recognised. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Aberystwyth Town Council then took the issue on, talked to Brongais Hospital, and the result is the modest plaque in the hospital’s new garden which we’re about to unveil.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I should emphasise that Dr Edwards never worked in Bronglais Hospital - the hospital wasn’t built here until 1966 when he would have been 77. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">He was born just around the corner from here in the house called The Laurels in St David’s Road. He went to school at Ardwyn Grammar, then a further 150 yards away at what is now Llys Ardwyn at the end of St David’s Road, and then he went to Aberystwyth University. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So, at that stage in his life he hadn’t gone very far from this immediate area. And I’ll come back to how his upbringing here affected the work he went on to do in his life. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">However, having been to Aberystwyth University, he then went to Edinburgh University and things changed from there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">He was enlisted during the 1st World War</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">, was wounded five times and was eventually discharged in 1917 with TB. And it’s almost certainly this that led to him, having first qualified as a doctor, eventually becoming the superintendant of Cheshire Joint Infirmary which, at that time, specialised in the treatment of tuberculosis and where - I believe - he made such an impression on George Simpson. But George wasn’t the only person that he made an impression on…</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I’m going to read a couple of passages that I’ve found describing him and his work which give a flavour of what he achieved and his unique style of achieving it. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">This one is by Ted Parton, the former head porter at the Cheshire Joint Infirmary</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: normal;"> from an article on the BBC website in 1999:</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Back in the days before anti-biotics, TB was not just a killer, it was so deeply feared that sufferers were sent away to remote sanatoria for many months and years. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">During the 30s and 40s, many thousands of sufferers were sent to the Joint Cheshire Sanatorium in Loggerheads in Staffordshire. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">The sanatorium had 300 beds - and the regime, under the direction of Dr Peter Edwards, was one of 'fresh air and rest'.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"We would wheel all the patient's beds outside into the fresh air, so that they could get the fresh air into their lungs. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">We would also wheel them out when it was frosty, or in the snow, and the snow would pile up on their beds - but it was thought to be good for them," says Mr Parton. "</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We would also put sandbags on their chests while they were lying down. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Patients could be left out in the elements with sandbags strapped to their chests for hours. The object of the exercise was to give the lungs something to grapple with - to increase their strength and breathing power."</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The vast site at Loggerheads was planted, at Dr Edwards' instruction, with pine trees, because he believed they purified the air (something that, we know today, has some truth to it). </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">If the sandbags failed to do the trick, and a patient's condition continued to fail, surgery was considered.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When a patient did get better, he or she was encouraged to take one of a number of designated walks through the sanatorium's own pine forest. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">"One walk would take half an hour, then you would build up to three quarters of an hour and then an hour," says Mr Parton. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">A walking patient could take up a job in the kitchens or the grounds.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Although the regime seems fairly primitive by modern standards, it was in its time - in the years between the wars - medically revolutionary and exciting. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">"It was a marvellous place and its patients have very fond memories of it," says Mr Parton, adding: "In many ways it was like a golden age of looking after people.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And then anti-biotics made their arrival at the sanatorium in the form of streptomycin. It was integrated into the treatment, and although the fresh air route to recovery was not entirely abandoned, the drug proved a more effective weapon in the fight against the lung disease.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">Now, there was </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">more to Peter Edwards’s life</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;"> than the Joint Cheshire Sanatorium. He played football for Hearts, one of the top two teams in Edinburgh, and was the honorary club doctor for Stoke City.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">He was consultant for the International Refugee Organisation a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">nd he was awarded an MBE by King George VI. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">And this last short passage, giving another, slightly different, perspective on the kind of person he was, is from the autobiography of Noel Browne, a doctor who worked with Peter Edwards and who eventually became the Irish Health Minister:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“At the Cheshire Joint Sanitorium I was to learn about the imaginative, unorthodox, original diagnostic and care procedures devised by the remarkable, infinitely charming autocrat Dr Peter Edwards. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Incredibly he ran a sanatorium staffed almost entirely with former consumptives (that is, sufferers of tuberculosis); everyone there, and even Peter Edwards himself, had all recovered, or were recovering, from tuberculosis. This was unheard of in tuberculosis practice at the time, but Dr Edwards had original and heterodox ideas on virtually every subject you could think of.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“As well as a considerable store of information about the care of tuberculosis, I also learned from Dr Edwards his insistence on the egalitarian values of a good radical Welshman. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">There was no distinction whatever in his sanatorium between the disparate roles of the hospital staff. We all contributed equally to the struggle to help and to care for our patients. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">“There were no titles; we all used Christian names. Technicians, nurses, doctors, porters, ambulance drivers, and administrative staff were all on equal terms and co-equal members of a fine</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">club.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So, from those two passages, you get something of a feel for Dr Peter Edwards - his imaginative, highly innovative</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> and groundbreaking approach and his attitudes, which were undoubtedly started by his upbringing in this particular corner of Aberystwyth.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-79777644552702679412016-05-04T06:09:00.000+01:002016-05-04T21:08:41.674+01:00Vote positive - vote for Elin Jones in Ceredigion on Thursday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Elin Jones supporting Fairtrade at Aberystwyth Art Centre</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">My personal pitch for why people should vote for Elin Jones in Thursday’s Assembly election in Ceredigion isn't just about all the things she’s done for the county, nor with Plaid Cymru’s policies. Yes, Elin has </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">done a fantastic amount of work that keeps Ceredigion firmly on the Welsh Government’s map and the Plaid <a href="http://www.plaid2016.wales/manifesto">manifesto</a> is a hugely impressive and <a href="http://www.plaid2016.wales/manifestocostings">fully-costed</a> document. But all that’s been covered elsewhere. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">No, more than that, my pitch is this:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Despite the relentless, depressing torrent of negativity and blatant fabrications </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">pouring through the letter boxes of Ceredigion from Elin's</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> main rival on an almost daily basis, Elin has refused to lower herself to that level and has remained relentlessly positive throughout. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Instead of trying to convince everyone that we live in a world with lots and lots of things to be cross and worried about, Elin believes in a firmly positive vision of Wales and, despite the challenges, in working with others to </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.elinjones.wales/">put that vision forward</a> in everything she does. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">If your glass is half full rather than half empty, if you like to focus on the best rather than the worst in people, if you prefer to think about how good things are and could be instead of how bad they are, if you basically like people and love life in Wales, then vote positive and vote for Elin Jones to continue moving us forward and representing us so well.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-63907803165013263602016-04-17T13:20:00.000+01:002016-04-17T18:47:00.424+01:00Plaid have a strong chance of winning the Police & Crime Commissioner election in Dyfed-Powys<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GrK019Z35ivSQL4Uthi2P0uLelayvcJyVbR6ZdajMVttWTnSbTgoPd3I80ITkNTVXbWCGsHKt2XZ4LeHj0-R7f9zIupp_iKJwpmKVyvtNhUNNR51_KIIYrbeyBasIMOZwqw7niURvnFk/s1600/Screenshot+2016-04-17+01.23.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GrK019Z35ivSQL4Uthi2P0uLelayvcJyVbR6ZdajMVttWTnSbTgoPd3I80ITkNTVXbWCGsHKt2XZ4LeHj0-R7f9zIupp_iKJwpmKVyvtNhUNNR51_KIIYrbeyBasIMOZwqw7niURvnFk/s400/Screenshot+2016-04-17+01.23.05.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">To say that the Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections are the lesser of the votes taking place in Wales in the next couple of months is a considerable understatement. Nevertheless, the election for the Dyfed-Powys police area is looking more than capable of producing what may be quite a surprise to many people, in the shape of a win for Plaid Cymru’s Dafydd Llywelyn (pictured).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">First, lets recap on the brief, sorry history of PCC </span>elections<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. In 2012, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_and_Wales_police_and_crime_commissioner_elections,_2012">the first PCC elections</a> were brought in by the Conservative/Lib Dem government, to be greeted with first opposition and then utter apathy on election day. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Only two candidates stood in Dyfed-Powys - Christopher Salmon for the Conservatives and Christine Gwyther for Labour. Other parties either consciously chose not to stand, like Plaid, or just didn’t get it together. Many actively pushed for a boycott or the spoiling of ballots. The result was a turnout of just 17%, with the Tories winning by a margin much narrower than the number of spoilt papers. More of the story of the PCC is elections can be found on <a href="http://cneifiwr-emlyn.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/dyfed-powys-police-and-crime.html">this excellent blog</a> by Cneifiwr.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The difference this time is that the PCC elections are being held on the same day as the National Assembly elections on May 5th. We can therefore reasonably expect a turnout of about the same as these, usually between 40-45%. Coupled with the fact that <a href="http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Your%20Council/Voting%20and%20Elections/2016/p/STATEMENTPERSONSNOMINATED_PCC.pdf">five parties</a> are actually putting up PCC candidates this time, that makes it a completely different election.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There are no opinion polls for Dyfed-Powys so the first place to start looking at how we might expect things to go is to add up the voting figures in the area from the last Assembly elections. By putting together the votes for each party across the seven constituencies comprising the Dyfed-Powys area at the last Assembly elections in 2011 we come up with this:</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Conservatives 52,376</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Plaid Cymru 51,901</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Labour 46,619</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Lib Dem 32,215</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">UKIP and an Independent are also standing in this PCC election, but not the Greens.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Based on these voting figures, it’s very clear who the two frontrunning parties are, the difference between them in the area last time being just 475. The possibility of a Plaid win is enhanced by the latest <a href="http://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/electionsinwales/2016/04/11/the-new-welsh-political-barometer-poll-2/">all-Wales opinion poll</a>, showing Plaid moving into second place ahead of the Tories.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.dafyddllywelyn.wales/">Dafydd Llewelyn</a> is a criminology lecturer at Aberystwyth University and before that was the Principal Crime and Intelligence Analyst for Dyfed Powys Police, managing a team of analysts and researchers. So he’s certainly the best-qualified of all the candidates, even, I suspect, the bloke who actually been doing the job since 2012, the Conservative Christopher Salmon. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">All the Plaid PCC candidates are standing on a <a href="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/plaid2016/pages/246/attachments/original/1456395991/PCC_Manifesto_2016_(ENG).pdf?1456395991">manifesto</a> of:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">1. Strong neighbourhood policing teams that will cut crime in communities</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">2. Protecting vulnerable groups and supporting victims so that they aren’t just a statistic </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">3. Breaking the cycle of crime to reduce future crime</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Plaid PCCs will, “use these priorities to prevent and detect crimes that happen in communities, protect vulnerable groups and support people who are the victims of crime, and to work with offenders to break their cycle of offending, punishment and re-offending and thereby reduce the overall amount of crime.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I reckon most people would prefer that to a continuation of Christopher Salmon’s <a href="http://www.dafyddllywelyn.wales/police_precept_election_gimmick_freeze">ideology-based reduction in policing resources</a> and <a href="http://www.dafyddllywelyn.wales/helicopter_failing_dyfed_powys">refusal to countenance a dedicated local police helicopter</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">The point of this article is show people why it’s worth voting - and voting Plaid - in the Police & Crime Commissioner elections in the Dyfed Powys area. Apart from his extensive working knowledge of the actual issues involved in the job, Dafydd Llywelyn is the best-placed to relieve us of a Tory incumbent. Whatever else you decide to do in this round of elections, why not give him a go?</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-43681187722220013452016-03-16T08:03:00.002+00:002016-03-16T08:11:25.045+00:00Aberystwyth traders vote Yes to setting up a Business Improvement District<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">As a follow-up to the story below, here's the (quite tight) result of the ballot (click to enlarge):</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GvneecC_yKqVleKhbel4E0h6k2XdVc4MmJc7eP-cXfJYVW0h8L736l-MwPJpAQspjo3rD6x3q7J2-Cz6NZlqFhkDKJfu6PSyiMghyphenhyphenTwR1Qrr2AkfP9Kb-MBLJfdXB0ikbZ_O1Qwgf0C_/s1600/Screenshot+2016-03-15+17.04.33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GvneecC_yKqVleKhbel4E0h6k2XdVc4MmJc7eP-cXfJYVW0h8L736l-MwPJpAQspjo3rD6x3q7J2-Cz6NZlqFhkDKJfu6PSyiMghyphenhyphenTwR1Qrr2AkfP9Kb-MBLJfdXB0ikbZ_O1Qwgf0C_/s640/Screenshot+2016-03-15+17.04.33.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Chris Mackenzie-Grieve, the Chair of Aberystwyth's Chamber of Commerce, said,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"My thanks to all those who worked on getting the BID formulated, developed and across the line. It has been a long and at times a tortuous and thankless task but it is what was needed to further Aberystwyth as a town with great prospects. Perseverance pays off, lets not squander this opportunity and make this a successful 5 year period in Aber's history. The hard work now begins!"</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-53102705089476179802016-02-21T00:18:00.000+00:002016-02-21T11:53:19.220+00:00Aberystwyth's Business Improvement District ballot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8p3SG2YD78U5qOZNxZQGbKYSeZOOwsfAqlngroSNkVy28FGzMlDp5icPb60Dj6Ks1duNvutHbW6xEWe4kii0_hL_faOymx5-iPBMtro3E0gF4DR-Np36iK2nRj_5i7k1d6bI-l-U2tUO/s1600/Screenshot+2016-02-20+23.46.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8p3SG2YD78U5qOZNxZQGbKYSeZOOwsfAqlngroSNkVy28FGzMlDp5icPb60Dj6Ks1duNvutHbW6xEWe4kii0_hL_faOymx5-iPBMtro3E0gF4DR-Np36iK2nRj_5i7k1d6bI-l-U2tUO/s640/Screenshot+2016-02-20+23.46.41.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aberystwyth businesses have this week been receiving information and ballot papers for voting on whether or not to form a Business Improvement District (BID) for the town.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The way it works is this. Every business premise with a rateable value (RV) of over £6,000 would pay 1.25% of their RV each year. For a business with an RV of £10,000 this would amount to £125 per year, for large businesses more. Those with RVs of under £6,000 are exempt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This would generate a pot of money for Aberystwyth amounting to around £200,000 each year, or £1 million over 5 years. That's a sizeable amount of money which the businesses can themselves then use in whatever way they choose to boost business in the town. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Ideas being put forward include collective purchasing schemes to cut costs, free wifi to encourage people to spend longer in the town, better signage so that visitors can find where </span>businesses<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> are, local loyalty schemes and promotion and marketing of the town.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So far eight other towns in Wales have agreed BIDS - Swansea, Merthyr, Newport, Caernarfon, Bangor, Colwyn Bay, Neath and Llanelli. More are in the pipeline. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I reckon this opportunity for local businesses to set the </span>direction<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> and take some control of their area's economic future is something no self-respecting town with ambitions would turn down. All that's required now is for</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">businesses in Aberystwyth to vote Yes by the deadline of March 15th.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">Fuller details are on these </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">links:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><a href="http://www.aberystwythbid.com/index.php/en">http://www.aberystwythbid.com/index.php/en</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.aberystwythbid.com/application/files/4014/5518/6140/AberystwythBID_Proposal_DRAFT_0902216_v3.compressed.pdf">http://www.aberystwythbid.com/application/files/4014/5518/6140/AberystwythBID_Proposal_DRAFT_0902216_v3.compressed.pdf</a></div>
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<a href="http://gov.wales/topics/housing-and-regeneration/grants-and-funding/business-improvement-districts/?lang=en">http://gov.wales/topics/housing-and-regeneration/grants-and-funding/business-improvement-districts/?lang=en</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-15377050744709825622015-12-24T14:36:00.003+00:002015-12-24T14:37:35.109+00:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUkON0PqXM0RlcFY_n2ILFUfEr_Z5d18Izv3hOMQYxb7K57DKUikG_Ynxw2sCVYHouVSOwDAFe-0nQOYWf5g4_fdIuRSzrRs6Ce2FSRlxSgzV8SZtjiEKYrpE17ebfKu_KxpJ15iMSoLj/s1600/image006.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUkON0PqXM0RlcFY_n2ILFUfEr_Z5d18Izv3hOMQYxb7K57DKUikG_Ynxw2sCVYHouVSOwDAFe-0nQOYWf5g4_fdIuRSzrRs6Ce2FSRlxSgzV8SZtjiEKYrpE17ebfKu_KxpJ15iMSoLj/s640/image006.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nadolig Llawen o Geredigion / Merry Christmas from Ceredigion</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-68394808585825964172015-11-26T00:48:00.000+00:002015-11-26T00:58:04.656+00:00Poppies and Peace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTc1TahWUvhNVw2HG0kQNU5O5485q36cIErXxMtkMp_xuSjgwURh-jmOblxPpT08GThO0h8Ozv5vJyr5bl8jToMjgI7HnyasB6Lyb89zg6ljpHq9FZHqGWGYJUgjsjYbJ6xPL-Efu-t0sD/s1600/IMG_3269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTc1TahWUvhNVw2HG0kQNU5O5485q36cIErXxMtkMp_xuSjgwURh-jmOblxPpT08GThO0h8Ozv5vJyr5bl8jToMjgI7HnyasB6Lyb89zg6ljpHq9FZHqGWGYJUgjsjYbJ6xPL-Efu-t0sD/s640/IMG_3269.jpg" width="616" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This article was </span>recently<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span>published<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> in <a href="http://www.cymrudrosheddwch.org/erthygl.html?id=39">Welsh</a> and <a href="http://www.walesforpeace.org/news-article.html?id=39">English</a> on the <a href="http://www.wcia.org.uk/walesforpeace.html">Wales </a></span><a href="http://www.wcia.org.uk/walesforpeace.html">For</a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.wcia.org.uk/walesforpeace.html"> Peace / Cymru Dros Heddwch</a> section of the <a href="http://www.wcia.org.uk/index.html">Welsh Centre for International Affairs</a> website.</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Aberystwyth Town Council first began laying a white poppy wreath at the war memorial in the town’s Castle Grounds on the weekend of Remembrance Day 2004. Mabon ap Gwynfor, a grandson of Gwynfor Evans, Plaid Cymru’s first MP, had become a councillor in the local elections of that year and successfully proposed a motion which was then seconded by Cllr Mark Strong. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like most town councils, Aberystwyth had always laid a red poppy wreath at the traditional Remembrance Day ceremony conducted by the British Legion and, with the Legion not prepared to allow white poppies at their ceremony, the proposal meant that the Council would lay different coloured wreaths at two different ceremonies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">The white poppy initiative was strongly supported by the Aberystwyth Peace & Justice Network - a co-ordination of local peace campaigners existing since 1982 - and the ceremony was conducted by local Presbyterian Minister Pryderi Llwyd. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to the website of the Peace Pledge Union, white poppies, “Symbolise the belief that there are better ways to resolve conflicts…(than) killing fellow human beings”. As such, they can be seen to present a challenge to traditional red poppy ceremonies which in turn can appear to represent an unquestioning acceptance of war. The British Legion’s website describes Remembrance Sunday as, “A day for the nation to remember and honour those who have sacrificed themselves to secure and protect our freedom”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Part of the reason feelings can run high, and why many Legion members have been resistant to allowing wider perspectives into their ceremony, is that some of those attending will have been in battle themselves and seen comrades killed. Some may well have suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Others present at the ceremony may have had close relatives or friends killed. For these people, the ceremony can be part of a grief process. It’s not difficult to see how it can feel uncomfortable to have people or groups present who carry an implied questioning of the reason for soldiers to be fighting in the first place.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Probably because of these feelings, in 2004 and until very recently, any kind of agreement with the British Legion was impossible. In Aberystwyth, despite some approaches from the Peace Network over the years, the Legion simply wanted nothing to do with white poppies. Even holding a ceremony on a different day of the same weekend was controversial. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">However, despite many town council seats changing hands at the 2008 and 2012 local elections, the Council stuck steadfastly to its balanced policy established in 2004 of supporting the laying of both wreaths. The only near hiccup was in 2008 when a vote in favour of continuing had to be decided on the casting vote of the Mayor, Sue Jones-Davies. When Pryderi Llwyd eventually retired, his role in leading the white poppy ceremony was taken over by Rhidian Griffiths from the same Presbyterian chapel, Capel y Morfa.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">For many years the white poppy ceremony was held on the Saturday so as to avoid any clash with Remembrance Sunday. Eventually members of the Aberystwyth Peace & Justice Network decided they felt too sidelined by this and began holding a ceremony on the Sunday afternoon of Remembrance Day after the main ceremony had dispersed, adding their white wreaths to the red ones laid on the steps of the war memorial in the morning. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then, last year, after the largest ever white poppy ceremony at the memorial, attended by around 60 people, the four wreaths laid were found stuffed in a nearby rubbish bin the following day. The ensuing press publicity left a bad taste and clearly gave the British Legion cause for thought. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">In July of this year, Aberystwyth Town Council was approached informally by local Legion officers asking to talk to councillors about plans for this year’s Remembrance Day. Six councillors attended an initial meeting with the same number of Legion members in the town’s Railway Club on July 16th. This is where the offer was first made. The Legion said they wanted to give the opportunity for white poppy wreaths to be placed as part of their main ceremony. There would be no limit imposed on the number of wreaths and, importantly, they made it clear that they had consulted their hierarchy who supported the initiative. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">The condition was that there should be no political statements of any kind on these wreaths, nor on any banners or badges of those attending. This was felt by the Legion to be in keeping with the purpose of the ceremony, which was meant purely in remembrance of those individuals or groups who had died in war. Messages on wreaths were supposed to reflect this. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">‘Political statements’ included the word “Peace” (or “Hedd” in Welsh) on poppies. I knew this could be a sticking point. However the upshot of the meeting was that I would contact the Peace & Justice Network inviting them to meet with the British Legion if they felt there was a possibility of taking the offer forward. I then attended one of the Peace Network’s meetings to answer any questions and fill in any gaps. They very much welcomed the offer and, whilst there were clearly some uncertainties, quickly agreed to attend a meeting with the Legion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The meeting between the two organisations was held on September 16th in the chamber of the Town Council. Four people from the two groups were present plus three town councillors, including Mayor Endaf Edwards, acting in the role as honest brokers. I was chairing and, after introductions (because, despite living in the same town, most mix in </span>different<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> circles and had never met before), it was astonishing how quickly agreement was reached.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">When it was pointed out that white poppies were generally only manufactured with the words Peace or Hedd the Legion quickly relented on their original stipulation about this and, after the Peace Network had consulted their constituent groups, the agreement was in place. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">An additional offer, which demonstrated the Legion’s seriousness, was that the Cor Gobaith - a local choir of around 20 people that sings mainly peace or political songs - were to be invited to sing at the Remembrance Day church service if a suitable song could be agreed with the Vicar.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">In order to prepare people for the change, a press statement was agreed. It began, </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Aberystwyth Town Council is delighted to announce that, following discussions between officers of the Aberystwyth Branch of the Royal British Legion and representatives of Aberystwyth Peace & Justice Network, this year there will be a single Remembrance Day ceremony at the war memorial at which everyone will be welcome.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sean Langton, </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Chair</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> of Aberystwyth Royal British Legion, was quoted as saying, </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">“The Legion’s red poppy honours all those who have sacrificed their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy today; including the freedom to wear the poppy of one’s choice. If the poppy became compulsory it would lose its meaning and significance. The red poppy is a universal symbol of Remembrance and hope, including hope for a positive future and a peaceful world.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lotte Reimer of Aberystwyth & Peace Justice Network said,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“This is what we have always wanted. Although the two ceremonies have had different emphases, we also have a great deal in common. As a local organisation that campaigns for peace in the world it is clear that we should work for peace at home and we are delighted to accept the </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Aberystwyth Royal </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">British Legion’s approach”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">On Sunday November 8th, something approaching 600 people attended the Remembrance Day ceremony at Aberystwyth war memorial following the traditional march from the Old Town Hall. Attendance for the event, at what must be one of the more spectacular settings for a war memorial in the country, is normally good but this time it was augmented by around 50 people who attended specifically because of the white poppy element.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">There was some nervousness on both sides. Some legionnaires, going on pre-held conceptions, were concerned that members of the Peace & Justice Network might try to stage some kind of attention-seeking protest. Some on the peace side were wondering if there might be audible unrest amongst the legionnaires. However, in practice, everyone behaved impeccably and those attending for the first time entered fully into the solemnity of the occasion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Amongst the dozens of red wreaths, white poppy wreaths were laid by the Peace & Justice Network, Aberystwyth Quakers, Borth & Aberystwyth Women in Black and the Cor Gobaith, with a purple wreath being laid for animal victims of war.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">People then filed onto the nearby St Michael’s Church where, halfway through the service, the Cor Gobaith, wearing a respectful black, sung a beautiful rendition of ‘A Song of Peace’ to the tune of Finlandia.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Despite natural uncertainties about bringing innovation into such a traditional occasion, the whole event went as well on the day as could possibly have been expected. The white poppy supporters laid their wreaths in the same respectful, understated way as everyone else and none of the fears about possible disruption materialised.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whilst there’s no point in denying that there has been some grumbling about the principle from more conservative members of the British Legion, outside the organisational bubbles comments have been overwhelmingly positive, both locally and further afield, and respect for both groups has almost certainly been enhanced. Local press coverage a few days later was measured and no attempt was made to sell newspapers by creating controversy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Particular tributes for the success should go to the current officers of Aberystwyth British Legion who, in contrast to their predecessors, showed real leadership and went to considerable trouble to bring their members along with them. Equally, to the Aberystwyth Peace & Justice Network who, when approached, played their part enthusiastically and conscientiously. Lastly, to Mones Farah, the Minister at St Michael’s Church who gave his full support to incorporating the initiative into his church service.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although, objectively, the laying of a few white poppy wreaths was little more than a modest addition to the traditional ceremony, everyone who has observed the lack of progress in the debate over the years knows that, symbolically, a historic leap has taken place. It now becomes much easier for others to do the same.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Everyone will now take a pause and assimilate things. There’s a long time till next November. But, having broken the logjam, the intention of all senior figures in the organisations involved is that the historic Remembrance Day settlement in Aberystwyth should continue into the future.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The photo shows Lotte Reimer of Aberystwyth Peace & Justice Network (with Pat Richards of Borth & Aberystwyth Women in Black behind) laying a white poppy at Aberystwyth War Memorial on November 8th this year.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-32535312216371596342015-10-25T00:38:00.001+01:002015-10-25T08:31:47.222+00:00Elin Jones's radical proposals for the Welsh NHS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">This post contains the main part of the speech made at the Plaid Cymru conference on Saturday by Elin Jones, Assembly Member for Ceredigion and Plaid's Shadow Health Minister. I'm publishing so much of it here </span><span style="font-size: 21px;">because, apart from being</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> typically waffle-free, it proposes the kind of </span><span style="font-size: 21px;">radical changes </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> to the Welsh NHS that deserve a deeper read than that allowed by </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">the usual online news articles:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"...My style is not to obsess
over Labour’s failures. Not to dwell or rant about what’s wrong. My style is to
offer solutions, to offer a vision of how a Plaid Cymru-run NHS would protect
and improve services<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT05cl5BNQGJHuFUyJ1btuzO4yTDhQ7ycftViRaE8gi-c9SpZXwCEZbBCSVgZXjeapRsVqNsQ0y10kYTMvDper_z9fUL9DicDfE0bKCvrcgqoRWwJttAWXCz9ngTsuEzx7hKxlZDY-0yNh/s1600/IMG_3196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT05cl5BNQGJHuFUyJ1btuzO4yTDhQ7ycftViRaE8gi-c9SpZXwCEZbBCSVgZXjeapRsVqNsQ0y10kYTMvDper_z9fUL9DicDfE0bKCvrcgqoRWwJttAWXCz9ngTsuEzx7hKxlZDY-0yNh/s400/IMG_3196.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"In the next Welsh Government
Plaid Cymru will safeguard and strengthen our NHS with a 6 point plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Our 6 point plan will:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Cut waiting times for diagnosis and treatment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Improve access to mental health<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Create a paperless NHS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Tackle the public health threats of today<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Train a next generation of NHS workers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Fully integrate health and social care & deliver
equal care for equal need<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Point 1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"We will cut waiting times for
diagnosis and treatment.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Currently, 31.4% of Welsh patients are waiting
over 6 weeks for a mri scan in Wales. In Scotland it’s 9.1% </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">and in England it’s </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">1.3%</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Unacceptable.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Since 2011, there
are 21000 more people waiting longer than 36 weeks for hospital treatment.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> "</span></span>We’ll set up 3 Full Diagnostic Centres to provide a
comprehensive range of tests and diagnosis, to enable cancer diagnosis to be
confirmed within 28 days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> "</span></span>We’ll set up dedicated Treatment Centres to undertake
a very large proportion of elective, planned treatments and surgery. We’ve seen
the success of the Golden <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jubilee
Hospital in Scotland and how the SNP Government now intend to invest in more
centres to further drive down waiting times and provide state-of-the-art effective
surgical services. I want to replicate this is Wales.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> "</span></span>We would have one National Hospital Board to plan and
deliver all acute and specialist hospital services. A Plaid Cymru Government
next May would scrap all 8 Health Boards, and replace with 1 Hospital Board. 3
million people, fewer than 20 hospitals – we do not need 16 Chairs and Chief
Execs for that job. 2 will be more than enough. We wouldn’t keep Betsi
Cadwalader in Special Measures – we’d scrap it. National planning, but
guaranteeing local delivery. And no community in Wales would be further than
the magic hour from emergency, life-saving hospital services.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Point 2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"We would dramatically improve
access to mental health services.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mental Health services
deserve parity of esteem with Physical Health, and will not be an afterthought
in a Plaid Cymru government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"In the last 2 years, the
number of children waiting longer than 4 months for their first appointment
with a mental health professional has increased almost 5-fold. 50% of our most
vulnerable children have to wait 4 months before they start treatment. That’s 4
months of disruption to their education, 4 months of anxiety and 4 months of
waiting that can have lifelong effects. That is not acceptable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So our priority would be to
ensure no child waits longer than 4 months for mental health treatment. Our
children and young people can not be allowed to be the victims of a poorly-run
Labour Government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Point 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"We would create a modern,
paperless NHS – fit for the 21</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">st</sup><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> century. It cannot be right that
you can go into a District General Hospital and see porters still wheeling
large trolleys of patient files and notes. It can’t be right that I can book a
hotel room in Buenos Aires on my smart phone from this stage right now, but I
can’t use my smartphone to book an appointment or repeat prescription from my
surgery just down the road.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->We need universal electronic patient records that are
accessible to every part of the NHS, wherever the patient presents at any point
in time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 72pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->We need Skype clinics to reduce the number of patient
visits and miles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"But a modern 21<sup>st</sup> century NHS is not just about
more imaginative use of IT. It is also about cutting-edge research and
treatments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to see more
university-led medical research in Wales, also more pharmaceutical and private
sector research in Wales. Our senior medics and researchers need to lead more
clinical trials – for the benefit of Welsh patients. And we will bring to an
end the postcode lottery of access to new treatments and drugs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want a NHS that is be fair and transparent
in decisions that affect whether a person lives or dies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Point 4</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Plaid Cymru will tackle the
big public health challenges that face our nation. Whilst the current Welsh Health Minister
fixates on banning e-cigarettes in public places, Plaid Cymru will address the
major causes of harm. We will use new
taxation powers to introduce a sugary-drinks tax. When Plaid Cymru first
announced this policy 2 years ago in Aberystwyth, we were ridiculed by Carwyn
Jones and Welsh Labour. David Cameron is equally set against a sugary drinks
tax.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"But public health experts and
medical organisations all now support a pop tax. And Jamie Oliver endorsed our
policy and Plaid Cymru backs his campaign. But, a Plaid Cymru government will
not introduce a poptax in Wales just because it’s backed by a certain celebrity
chef. We’ll do it because the harm that is done to our children’s health by
over-consumption of unnecessary sugar cannot go unchallenged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Point 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Our NHS is the sum of its
parts. And its parts are its staff. Without a motivated and well-rewarded
staff, then the NHS crumbles. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the
staff working in our NHS and wider health and social services. They do sterling
work day in, day out. And yes, Jeremy Hunt, they already work weekends and
nights. A Plaid Cymru Government would
not seek to undermine the work of NHS staff in the same way as Jeremy Hunt is England
– targetting the junior doctors today, and someone else tomorrow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"We would protect today’s staff and plan for tomorrow’s
staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is scandal that the Welsh
Labour Health Minister is shying away from any action to properly plan for the
workforce. Plaid Cymru would create a National NHS Workforce Plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d start by prioritising doctors – and we’d
train and recruit an additional 1000 doctors over 10 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> "</span>To do so we would create financial incentives
to attract doctors to hard-to-recruit areas and specialisms, but we’d also
ensure more capacity in medical schools – in Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor. They
would be medical and nursing schools to serve and supply the Welsh NHS and we
would place a percentage quota of student places for Welsh students in our
medical schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Our workforce plan will start with doctors, but it will
become a plan for all health and social care professionals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Point 6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"And finally, our most
ambitious plan of all. Where others talk about fully integrating our health and
social care systems – we will do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Two systems set up by great
pieces of 1940s legislation. Two systems – health and social care – separated
at birth. Health care free at the point of need and social care means-tested
and assessed at the point of need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Health care provided by the NHS, social care by Local Authorities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"They were systems of their
time, but they are no longer in synch with the needs of today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Before I became Shadow Health
Minister, I was the Minister for Rural Affairs, dealing with animal health
matters, rather than human health. Looking back, I think I can say that there
is better integration of health and social care in agriculture, than in human
health and social care!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmers do the
social care bit, and vets do the health care – and they do it in an integrated,
effective way – even in times of crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Plaid Cymru will create a Community
NHS – to combine GP surgeries, community nursing teams, other community health
professionals and community hospitals, out-of-hours GP services and community
mental health services and adult social care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Local authorities would be
given the lead responsibility of managing and delivering Community NHS.
Services would be planned coherently and delivered seamlessly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"However, will organisational
change on its own deliver the seamless care that our elderly and vulnerable
need?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In the current system, the
diagnosis you have in large measure determines the financial support you get to
cope with its effects.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"In the 21<sup>st</sup>
century, it is simply not acceptable that people with conditions that can
involve very similar burdens, such as cancer and advanced dementia, can end up
making very different contributions to the cost of their care. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"In Government, Plaid Cymru
will end the historical divide and current inequalities between health and
social care, we will ensure “equal support for equal need”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"The final barrier between full
health and social care integration is the answer to the question who pays? For
health care, it is the state, and for social care, it depends. For a cardiac
patient it is the state, for a dementia patient, it depends. It depends on the
assessment of need and on a means-assessment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Plaid Cymru is committing to
provide free social care for all over 65s within 10 years, with clear
milestones along the way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1 "</span>Firstly, we will introduce free personal care for the
elderly within the first 2 years of Government. This would abolish all fees for
non-residential care. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> "Secondly, we would abolish charges for those with a
dementia diagnosis within 5years – including for nursing and residential care. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> "Thirdly, we would completely abolish all social care
charges for the elderly within a second term of Welsh Government<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"This a fully-costed plan and
it will provide <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">equal care for equal
need</b>. That is our pledge – equal care for equal need, so that in 21<sup>st</sup>
century Wales - those people that care and those that are cared for will be
guaranteed quality care and dignity of care, without financial fear or
financial burden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"For May next year, Plaid
Cymru has the policies and priorities to strengthen our NHS. Labour’s poor,
poor record on health can not be allowed to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Labour Ministers have been unwilling to take
the big decisions on the NHS and unable to get the small decisions right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"They have spent too much time
over the past 4 and a half years blaming a Westminster Government for a lack of
funds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There should be no more
excuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Labour should be judged on what
it has failed to achieve with the powers and budget available to it, and we
will be judged on what we promise to achieve within the powers and budget
available to us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"The people of Wales deserve
better than to hear Labour politicians blame others for what can and can’t be
achieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a change that our NHS
needs. There is a change that Wales needs. Plaid Cymru is that change."</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-62498611671193612282015-10-06T12:14:00.003+01:002015-10-06T12:16:53.017+01:00Llwybr newydd i gerddwyr a beicwyr ym Mhlas Crug / New pedestrian & cycle path at Plas Crug<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Cliciwch i ehangu / Click to enlarge</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2khKnTHpcWg8qlBRxb2MRU2WzE7aXcnr3cvXD5n55N-0MEAFE1FZITBRYA17UKS3hH3Jkur5KnplKxd12IB66xLECr1yR5G_Z2dCD2_rrbw1_j3mxU5vlLlEQ0saDe8ZvoTLTLLIdxTz4/s1600/Screenshot+2015-10-06+11.46.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="515" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2khKnTHpcWg8qlBRxb2MRU2WzE7aXcnr3cvXD5n55N-0MEAFE1FZITBRYA17UKS3hH3Jkur5KnplKxd12IB66xLECr1yR5G_Z2dCD2_rrbw1_j3mxU5vlLlEQ0saDe8ZvoTLTLLIdxTz4/s640/Screenshot+2015-10-06+11.46.53.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-29896535393638201322015-08-01T15:40:00.001+01:002015-08-01T15:40:19.739+01:00Ceredigion agrees grant funding to reduce HMOs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the continuing uncertainty about the housing market in Aberystwyth, exacerbated by the new additional student accommodation at Fferm Penglais on Clarach Road, Ceredigion Council has agreed a number of measures to improve the town's housing stock and encourage a reduction in the number of </span>Houses of Multiple Occupancy (<span style="font-family: inherit;">HMOs) in the town:</span></span></div>
<div style="min-height: 13px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">* An energy efficiency grant of £5,000, focussing particularly on the many deficient and d</span></span>rafty<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> sash bay windows in HMOs around the town plus wall and loft </span></span>insulation.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">* A grant of £5,000 for converting HMOs of four or fewer bedrooms back into traditional single households.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">* A grant of £10,000 to convert an HMO into self-contained units, i.e. flats that would reduce the density of the property.</span></span></div>
<div style="min-height: 13px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The new measures, detailed on page 3 of <a href="http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/cpdl/Democratic_Services_Meetings_Public/G%20a%20H%20-%20Care%20Protection%20and%20Lifestyle%20(s).pdf">this link</a>, will be the subject of discussion at the next Landlord’s Forum on 24th August, the latest of the regular discussion meetings held between the Council and local landlords.</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The money is being made available by the Welsh Government as part of the Housing Renewal Area scheme. Property owners are expected to match the </span></span>grant<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> money.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Although HMOs undoubtedly serve a purpose, the numbers in some streets, with the resultant pressure on parking spaces and other issues, have led to </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">concerns for many years. Ceredigion is taking the opportunity provided by the current changes in the local housing market to address these issues.</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-51611100353442529822015-07-09T23:04:00.000+01:002015-07-09T23:41:13.620+01:00Feasibility study for Bow Street station and transport hub<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3398" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span class="yiv8164174829">This is<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> an English language version of an article published earlier in the excellent Welsh language news site <a href="http://poblaberystwyth.com/">Pobl Aberystwyth</a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3398" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span class="yiv8164174829" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3398" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rbvXTLYES_20jW10DP2t_bxOoXfU9kO8dMyo9F6waCP0h2tDf-ynlEEffyWbHkBukFvQ3KjKC4EAaa1wDauOaR8arPMKJb3Fs43vk96WbGXJWSh9fHBvVDLb6pc6zRVIuLuGTYHCbjlF/s1600/IMG_1974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rbvXTLYES_20jW10DP2t_bxOoXfU9kO8dMyo9F6waCP0h2tDf-ynlEEffyWbHkBukFvQ3KjKC4EAaa1wDauOaR8arPMKJb3Fs43vk96WbGXJWSh9fHBvVDLb6pc6zRVIuLuGTYHCbjlF/s320/IMG_1974.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3397" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_4809"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There was dismay last month when it was announced that Ceredigion Council’s bid to the Welsh Government for £409,000 worth of funding for initial work into a new Bow Street station and transport hub, just north of Aberystwyth, had been turned down. I’d been chairing meetings of a group of Ceredigion councillors and others to make the case and had been hopeful of a better result. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3396" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="yiv8164174829" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br class="yiv8164174829" clear="none" /></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3395" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3394" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_5031"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">However, following further work behind the scenes, questions by Ceredigion AM Elin Jones in yesterday’s Assembly plenary session in Cardiff Bay brought the following response from Edwina Hart, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Economy, Science & Transport: </span></span></span><br />
<span class="yiv8164174829" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“I have asked my officers now to initiate work on a feasibility study about Bow Street”. </span></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_4309" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="yiv8164174829" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br class="yiv8164174829" clear="none" /></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3393" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3392" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_5265"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Those brief words mark a huge step forward in the campaign and supporters of the idea will now be keenly seeking more information about timescales. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="yiv8164174829" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br class="yiv8164174829" clear="none" /></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3391" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3390" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_4767"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The idea behind a new Bow Street station is that, apart from serving the 2000 residents of the immediate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_Street,_Ceredigion">village</a> - and 1000 more in nearby <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penrhyn-coch">Penrhyncoch</a> - the site could become a transport hub to the whole area to the north of Aberystwyth. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3389" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="yiv8164174829" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br class="yiv8164174829" clear="none" /></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3388" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3387"><span id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_5485"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The intended setting is on the site of the old station, closed in </span></span>June<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> 1965, next to the intersection of A roads at the South end of the village. The University have firm plans to further develop their <a href="http://aberstudentmedia.com/2013/07/22/aberystwyth-announces-plans-to-create-35m-innovation-campus/">Gogerddan campus</a>, just over half a mile away. Any promise of a new station, incorporating a pedestrian and cycle link to their site, would give those plans a big boost. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3386" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="yiv8164174829" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br class="yiv8164174829" clear="none" /></span></div>
<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3347" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3346" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_5706"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">By incorporating a Park & Ride car park alongside the station, such a hub could provide an option for those driving to Aberystwyth from the North to travel the last three miles by train or bus, avoiding the frequent early morning traffic queues on Penglais Hill and the stress of finding a parking spot in town. The obvious benefits to the town would make it worthwhile for the County Council to promote the kind of shuttle services that would make this option attractive.</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3384" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span class="yiv8164174829" id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_3383" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span id="yiv8164174829yui_3_16_0_1_1436394169246_4766"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">With the <a href="http://www.thecambrianline.co.uk/news/192/LONG-AWAITED-PEAK-HOURLY-SERVICES-WELCOMED-ON-THE-CAMBRIAN-LINES/">commencement in May</a> of a peak-time hourly service on the <a href="http://www.thecambrianline.co.uk/">Cambrian Line</a> and the recent announcement by the Minister of funding for an ‘options appraisal’ on a potential new <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmarthen_to_Aberystwyth_Line">Aberystwyth-Carmarthen rail line</a>, the latest statement on Bow Street adds to the optimism being felt at the moment by all of us campaigning for improved rail services in Mid Wales.</span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-49690346485214673302015-06-07T15:09:00.000+01:002015-06-07T22:58:22.362+01:00Renewal of Aberystwyth's small nation flags<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGNrAXRusrb6vUvBgHx6E3ghaTdAXk24f1iuoRehWzVesA_WgTa8y6c9_9jVs0Fss72Oi7cYqPpOxjHlJXEmdpMN3RK1sKRBNdnkUW2muJKoWPNmerkkRJmgaOQ3XugIJsVcSyISYIv5R/s1600/IMG_2136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGNrAXRusrb6vUvBgHx6E3ghaTdAXk24f1iuoRehWzVesA_WgTa8y6c9_9jVs0Fss72Oi7cYqPpOxjHlJXEmdpMN3RK1sKRBNdnkUW2muJKoWPNmerkkRJmgaOQ3XugIJsVcSyISYIv5R/s640/IMG_2136.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #003400; letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s very common to see the flags of various long-established nations fluttering in the breeze on the promenades of seaside towns, like those on Aberystwyth’s South Prom. However, since 1990, the town's North Prom has also displayed the flags of twenty European stateless nations and peoples.</span><span style="color: #003400; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">At the time, the original supporting booklet for the project explained,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“When a Welsh person visits another country it is often the case that a display of flags is encountered adorning some public building or space. More often than not the Red Dragon of Wales is not found amongst them. Realising that inhabitants of minority nations throughout Europe probably experience similar disappointments, the District Council of Ceredigion has resolved that as many as possible of the flags of Europe’s minority nations should be flown at Aberystwyth every summer.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Since then, three of the places originally represented - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have become fully fledged nation states and there have been many other changes around Europe, so it felt like about time to have a revamp.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Ceredigion Council therefore consulted the organisation behind the original project - <a href="https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/tfts/mercator/">The Mercator Institute for Media, Languages and Culture </a>based at Aberystwyth University - and they recommended a renewed list of flags which are now up and flying in all their glory.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">With twenty places available, not all the possibilities could be included. The flags chosen for display this year are, in alphabetical order: </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromanians">The Aromanians</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asturias">Asturias</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_Country_(greater_region)">The Basque Country</a>, </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittany">Britanny</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia">Catalonia</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornwall">Cornwall</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsica">Corsica</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanders">Flanders</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friesland">Frieseland</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friuli">Friuli</a>, </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galicia_(Spain)">Galicia</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man">Isle of Man</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashubia">Kashubia</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occitania">Occitania</a>, </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people">The Romani</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1pmi">Saami</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinia">Sardinia</a></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland">Scotland</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lusatia&redirect=no">Sorbia</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales">Wales</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The small nation flag display on Aberystwyth’s North Prom is, as far as I’m aware, absolutely unique. It educates and points to an alternative, bottom-up view of nations and cultures that feels like a distinctively ‘Aberystwyth’ way of looking at the world.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-20363500233322735202015-05-17T17:03:00.002+01:002015-05-17T18:28:11.301+01:00And then there were 3,067<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyBMdLWIvm80i2XFMD9rna5xeSIxhJDwoO6b_Po9n6fXFbU3iFAncCKZ5F2Ybs650pzS5QxUABeDbvbDtsmi2DeU0Yfh15ybQHDatwjsq1a5tEzA4wUQUFoELGpAswebTn69S7lNnomoO/s1600/Screenshot+2015-05-17+16.27.54.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyBMdLWIvm80i2XFMD9rna5xeSIxhJDwoO6b_Po9n6fXFbU3iFAncCKZ5F2Ybs650pzS5QxUABeDbvbDtsmi2DeU0Yfh15ybQHDatwjsq1a5tEzA4wUQUFoELGpAswebTn69S7lNnomoO/s640/Screenshot+2015-05-17+16.27.54.png" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">In the last few days of the election period, those of us campaigning for Plaid Cymru’s Mike Parker on the doorsteps of Ceredigion could tell there was a significant shift taking place towards Plaid but couldn’t tell by how much and were privately doubtful if the movement would be enough. That proved to be correct, with the Lib Dems finishing the night with their previously majority cut by 63%, or 5,257 votes, with a reported 6.8% swing to Plaid Cymru. The new Lib Dem majority is 3,067, making the constituency a marginal seat according to the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25949029">accepted definition</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">If Mark Williams was not such a personable local constituency MP with such a large majority heading into this election, he would almost certainly have joined the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32633462">49 other Lib Dems</a> who lost their seats on that Friday morning. His undoubted good work with people on a personal level seems to have innoculated him against too much public disapproval at the way he has </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://bronglais.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/ceredigions-mp-representing-ceredigion.html" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">regularly voted in Parliament in support of the government’s austerity agenda</a><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">He has certainly succeeded in managing to keep his voting with the Tories very quiet during the past five years</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. When challenged on his voting record by clued-up opposition activists in many of the 15 hustings held around the county during the campaign, he argued that he had been forced to vote in the ways that he had by his party whips and recounted how very, very difficult encounters with these apparent rottweilers could be. This was a difficult </span></span>argument<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> to pull off since, simultaneously, he seemed to be trying to present himself as more of an Independent MP than anything as </span></span>embarrassing<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> as a member of the Lib Dems, mention of whom was notably downplayed in election literature. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There's a theory that Mark's success actually represents a kind of ‘anti-politics’ - a vote for an individual who does well at giving a particular service without being seen to get too involved in that messy, contentious politics stuff with its difficult dilemmas about how the country should be run. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It can be a salutary lesson for activists steeped in policies when they present what seems like a cast iron, logical case for change on the doorstep only to be faced with an elector who, although perfectly intelligent, is unfamiliar with the word austerity and simply wants to vote for someone who seems nice in a coffee morning. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I do think we underestimate the importance of this personal side in politics at times. But if what an MP votes for in parliament really doesn’t matter anymore then our democracy has problems. And to have Ceredigion’s representative voting with the Tories to dismantle the welfare state is unacceptable.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For Plaid's Mike Parker, the campaign began with the kind of bad-as-it-can-get headline in the local press, about something he wrote 14 years ago, that would have poleaxed most candidates. In footballing terms it felt a bit like one of those matches when a team has a player sent off in the first few minutes and spends the rest of the game trying to hold on against the odds. Although for some electors the headline never went away, Mike’s resilience meant that, over time, it began to matter less and less.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Another notable aspect of the election in Ceredigion was the improvement in the standing of the parties outside the top two. UKIP (+7.7%), Labour (+3.9%), and the Greens (+3.8%) will all feel reasonably pleased with their results, although the Tories, with what most people regard as a suspiciously lacklustre campaign, stood still. The Greens saved their deposit for the first time in the constituency and their Ceredigion result was their second best in Wales next to Cardiff Central. Given Ceredigion’s Plaid/Green history and Mike Parker’s own strong green credentials, their decision to contest the seat disappointed many but was probably inevitable.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">One of the features of the last two Ceredigion elections has been the evaporation of the votes of the parties outside the leading two in the constituency, with an ‘anti-Plaid’ vote seeming to coalesce around the Lib Dems' 50% in 2010. This time, with the Lib Dem vote reduced to 35.9%, the combined Labour, Tory, Green and UKIP candidates are back to the kind of levels being won by the lower scoring parties when Plaid controlled the seat between 1992 and 2005. That trend would seem to give Plaid reason to hope that they can come through the middle to win again in the future.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It's often deceptive to pay too much attention to the feeling within a campaign team. But it must be said that this was undoubtedly the most enjoyable and well-run Plaid campaign for many years. Those turning out to knock on doors were of all ages and sometimes reached unmanageable numbers, having to be split into sub-teams. This was was probably due to a combination of the freshness provided by Mike Parker's candidature, Leanne Wood's <a href="http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/plaid-leanne-debate-farage-hiv-8975174">groundbreaking performances in the TV debates</a> and a sense that, in what the polls were telling us was a dramatically changing wider political picture, a win might just be possible. No other party in Ceredigion can come close to matching Plaid’s ‘troops on the ground’. The entire Lib Dem parliamentary party now numbers no more than a Plaid canvassing team on an average night in April.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A rally at Aberystwyth University with Leanne Wood on the Monday before polling day (below), followed by a street walkabout with <a href="http://www.catrinfinch.com/">Catrin Finch</a>, was a huge success. Again, no other party in the constituency could dream of pulling that sort of event together. But, in the context of a Westminster election, that campaigning ability doesn’t necessarily translate into decisively more converted votes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So, for Plaid Cymru in Ceredigion, it’s a case of having plenty of regrets that we couldn’t come closer to winning but just as many positives to take from the campaign. There’s a strong sense that, with Leanne Wood’s leadership, Plaid is on the up, both here and across Wales, and a lot of optimism about next year’s Assembly elections where, in a changing political landscape, a good campaign will see an increased majority for Assembly Member <a href="https://www.partyof.wales/elin-jones-am/">Elin Jones</a> and Plaid Cymru <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Wales">returned to government</a> in Cardiff.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks to the excellent <a href="https://griffblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/2015-election-review-ceredigion/">Griffblog</a> for the image</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-42322475655571231552015-05-05T21:06:00.002+01:002015-05-05T21:06:48.640+01:00Cheers and ovations at Plaid's election rally in Aberystwyth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUzr8krupipE8DvYRF97CaErnqHihljw5hEh8hj33dh_FbOv4O1O4kwnzCY2OVTt_EKM5RK7A_-_RFZ-wecUSzsTQlKjYnSECsfSynGy7JSpc_Qrkay2Ebafdf-UPtZrkfBOncjgENeia/s1600/IMG_1838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUzr8krupipE8DvYRF97CaErnqHihljw5hEh8hj33dh_FbOv4O1O4kwnzCY2OVTt_EKM5RK7A_-_RFZ-wecUSzsTQlKjYnSECsfSynGy7JSpc_Qrkay2Ebafdf-UPtZrkfBOncjgENeia/s1600/IMG_1838.JPG" height="335" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the finale to the event below - <a href="https://www.partyof.wales/elin-jones-am/">Elin Jones</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leanne_Wood">Leanne Wood</a> and <a href="http://www.mikeparker.wales/">Mike Parker</a> receiving a standing ovation from the crowd of over 250 in the Hugh Owen Building at Aberystwyth University on Monday.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-34140142528431787082015-05-02T22:35:00.002+01:002015-05-17T17:17:56.401+01:00Leanne Wood giving keynote speech in Aberystwyth on Monday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJQUOWoei8U4ypFlV24L34pv5wjY8ywhuoXwOcKAOdW381THqROgFeCWKGPLB1KFYG5mPWQes-tRKD65i4y0EZiBGTCghLWKL0U9yvbtFlLIksfweRDy_Hy4_waAfXTM7c6tXFgHS9Xk-/s1600/11066514_10153237137560993_3265765881588438361_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJQUOWoei8U4ypFlV24L34pv5wjY8ywhuoXwOcKAOdW381THqROgFeCWKGPLB1KFYG5mPWQes-tRKD65i4y0EZiBGTCghLWKL0U9yvbtFlLIksfweRDy_Hy4_waAfXTM7c6tXFgHS9Xk-/s1600/11066514_10153237137560993_3265765881588438361_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood will be delivering a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1445120045786016/">keynote speech</a> in Aberystwyth on Monday 4th May at 12:30pm in the <a href="https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/timetable/zones/penglais/hugh-owen/a12/">A12 lecture theatre</a> in the <a href="http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/maps-travel/maps/buildings/hugh-owen#">Hugh Owen Building</a> on the Penglais Campus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This will the first chance many people in Ceredigion will have had to meet Leanne following the groundbreaking part she played in the series of televised election leadership debates.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The 300-seat A12 theatre is opposite the Penbryn building and <a href="https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/hospitality/venues/tamed-da/">TaMed Da</a> restaurant, just inside the main university entrance. Everyone is welcome.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141923; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Leanne is </span>pictured<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> here with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MikeParkerCeredigion">Mike Parker</a>, Plaid </span>Cymru<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">'s </span>election candidate for Ceredigion, who will also be at the event.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-31333653413988620312015-04-17T00:22:00.001+01:002015-04-17T00:22:20.078+01:00Ceredigion's solar power commitment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">Over 200 solar panels have been erected on Ceredigion Council offices in Aberaeron in the last month - saving tons of carbon each year and also saving money on fuel in the long term.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The photos show Penmorfa and Min y Mor offices.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1K32haU1jHJtB9gngts1HeTWK6T1HupPF0rENePoc8abnMcDeLxu0VxFrKxINmRtlriSz8UWdMI3AjWVOQZJW0lQ4uubYA6SefWkY6toXmPkR0tA6GhP3e1koobvcZBjkAtORk1xCoCDF/s1600/IMG_1685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1K32haU1jHJtB9gngts1HeTWK6T1HupPF0rENePoc8abnMcDeLxu0VxFrKxINmRtlriSz8UWdMI3AjWVOQZJW0lQ4uubYA6SefWkY6toXmPkR0tA6GhP3e1koobvcZBjkAtORk1xCoCDF/s1600/IMG_1685.JPG" height="489" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDoyAyEx-CkNmivy20h5b0bifporrcZxEe_F0wTT2R1U2ss6TUpGJHKhMmtQ-sfLRPZFOG_YPCZfXt7J7p4ej9p2lWrOIAzkBnd78gBcz_3_WjVAsR-HkbkPe0DY3w5Oa8HCQtvztl5Ub/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDoyAyEx-CkNmivy20h5b0bifporrcZxEe_F0wTT2R1U2ss6TUpGJHKhMmtQ-sfLRPZFOG_YPCZfXt7J7p4ej9p2lWrOIAzkBnd78gBcz_3_WjVAsR-HkbkPe0DY3w5Oa8HCQtvztl5Ub/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" height="408" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069189362129167946.post-13772435631948717142015-04-06T12:40:00.000+01:002015-04-06T19:58:23.271+01:00Ceredigion's MP - representing Ceredigion or Westminster?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlF5LDpjaMCe9AMbrVIqyh7Ynzes_dgdZLHMJPoTZ5iVJVubdOvqad51fIym-xSzhKzZo1tiwDcpnF_MpYQwIVYAxemuvnuJrrG-mJATUYoQkIN2cx5od0-qlqooY6c-j0cohrYRnO9Ln/s1600/_65578679_65578678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlF5LDpjaMCe9AMbrVIqyh7Ynzes_dgdZLHMJPoTZ5iVJVubdOvqad51fIym-xSzhKzZo1tiwDcpnF_MpYQwIVYAxemuvnuJrrG-mJATUYoQkIN2cx5od0-qlqooY6c-j0cohrYRnO9Ln/s1600/_65578679_65578678.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">What practical difference would a Plaid Cymru MP like <a href="http://www.mikeparker.wales/">Mike Parker</a> make in Ceredigion? Firstly there's the massive anti-austerity message that a Plaid Cymru win would send out, together with the increasing likelihood of having a key influence in a hung parliament alongside the SNP. But for anyone interested in policies and values, one of the best way to judge is to look at how our current Lib Dem MP has been voting at Westminster. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Below are listed some of the ways he’s been voting, as recorded on the website ‘<a href="http://www.theyworkforyou.com/">They Work for You</a>', where a Plaid Cymru MP would differ markedly. I must admit I’m quite shocked at some of the voting patterns.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Because some votes are complex or multi-layered, the website uses a scoring mechanism to judge on whether the MP has voted 'moderately', 'strongly' or 'very strongly' on each particular issue. These are all quotes from the website. My comments are in brackets.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Welfare and Benefits</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;">Voted moderately for a reduction in spending on welfare benefits</span><br />
<i style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;">(Disappointing)</i><br />
<span style="color: #323333;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;">Voted moderately for reducing housing benefit for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;">(i.e. the ‘Bedroom Tax’ - very disappointing to see this)</i><br />
<span style="color: #323333;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;">Voted strongly against spending public money to create guaranteed jobs for young people who have spent a long time unemployed</span><br />
<i style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;">(I'm really surprised by this)</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Social Issues</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately for laws to promote equality and human rights</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Only moderately?)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Taxation and Employment</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately against a banker’s bonus tax</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Astonishing)</i></span></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Health</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted strongly against restricting the provision of services to private patients by the NHS.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Thereby accepting the increasing privatisation of the health service - Plaid Cymru are committed to opposing this)</i></span></span></div>
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<b style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Education</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Voted very strongly for ending financial support for some 16-19 year olds in training and further education</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Very surprising)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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<b style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Constitutional Reform</span></b></div>
<div style="min-height: 23px;">
<span style="color: #323333; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Voted strongly for reducing central government funding of local government</span><br />
<i style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">(And then blames local councils for cuts to services?)</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Voted moderately against a </span>more proportional<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> system </span></span></span><span style="color: #323333; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">for electing MPs.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323333;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(i.e. failed to back Caroline Lucas’s enlightened motion to broaden the debate on proportional representation, even though PR is supposed to be a key Lib Dem policy. The loss of this motion was then followed by the disastrous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_Alternative_Vote_referendum,_2011">AV referendum in 2011</a> in which the Lib Dem’s choice was heavily defeated).</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately for greater restrictions on campaigning by third parties, such as charities, during elections.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Generally seen as a measure aimed at restricting debate - surprising)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted a mixture of for and against transferring more powers to the Welsh Assembly.</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately against transferring more powers to the Scottish Parliament.</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately against more powers for local councils.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">(Looking at the last three </span>together,<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> there’s not much commitment to decentralisation going on there...)</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Home Affairs</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted strongly for the introduction of elected <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_and_crime_commissioner">Police and Crime Commissioners</a></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Has proved to be hugely unpopular - Plaid will vote to abolish)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately for requiring the mass retention of information about communications</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Basic Lib Dem tenets seem to be going out of the window here)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br />
</span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Miscellaneous Topics</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately against greater regulation of gambling</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Surprising)</i></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately for </span></span><span style="color: #323333; font-size: large;">financial incentives for low-carbon emission electricity generation methods.</span><br />
<span style="color: #323333; font-size: large;"><i>(Only moderately?)</i></span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #323333;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately for measures to prevent climate change </span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #323333; margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Only moderately?!)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br />
</span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted strongly against slowing the rise in rail fares </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Absolutely amazing</i></span></span><span style="color: #323333; font-size: large;"><i>)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br />
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<div style="color: #323333; margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Has never voted on selling England’s state owned forests</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Shame)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately for restricting the scope of Legal Aid</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Disappointing)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br />
</span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted a mixture of for and against the privatisation of Royal Mail</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36px; text-indent: -36px;">
<div style="color: #323333;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>(Incredible)</i></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Voted moderately for the policies included in the 2010 Conservative-Lib Dem Agreement.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">(And </span>there<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> lies the nub of the problem)</span></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">Put </span><span style="color: #323333; text-align: justify;">together</span><span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">, this list is pretty damning, and it certainly </span><span style="color: #323333; text-align: justify;">doesn't </span><span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">represent the wishes of the people of </span><span style="color: #323333; text-align: justify;">Ceredigion.</span><span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I don’t know which votes were whipped or how </span>strongly <span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">(’The Tories/Nick Clegg made me do it’?) but, with the Lib Dems refusing to rule out another coalition with the Conservatives, and Plaid Cymru's Leader <a href="http://www.partyof.wales/leader/">Leanne Wood</a> </span></span><span style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">explicitly ruling out any co-operation with them at all, it’s clear where people of </span>any<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> kind of green or left persuasion should </span></span><b style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;">not</b><span style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> be placing their vote on May 7th.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #323333; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the other hand, Plaid Cymru's manifesto is <a href="http://www.partyof.wales/2015-manifesto/">here</a>. If you're interested enough in policies to get to the end of this article, it's </span></span><span style="color: #323333; font-size: large;">worth checking out.</span></div>
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