52 Comment Safwynt Plaid with Simon Tomas I VISITED Jig-So
Children’s Centre in Cardigan to be updated on their developing work and services, which include a number of European funded projects. I listened to the children and their views along with Trustee Linda Grace. The hard work and
commitment of both staff and volunteers over the last 24 years has to be congratulated. I was pleased to visit Jig-so
again and continue my interest in their work. It was great to see the support for families and children they undertake. Good quality childcare is vital
to not only for the educational development of our children but for all of our futures. This is why Plaid Cymru has prioritised the policy and ensured an extra £10m in the Welsh budget for childcare. The range of work undertaken by Jig-so in supporting families,
whether with childcare, budgeting, cooking skills and many other activities, is tailored to the rural communities of South Ceredigion, North Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. As we negotiate to leave the European Union, it is vital we ensure the continued support for such projects. As an elected representative,
it is important I get out and about in my region. I do not want to be tied to a desk. Following my meeting, I will impress upon Cardiff-based Labour Government ministers how important it is that they take our rural communities seriously. As the Labour Government
changes the way it supports community development, by scrapping the Community First scheme I want ministers to understand that we have innovation and expertise in West Wales that they can support and build upon.
BADGER DECLARES WAR LAST week, Badger found With the likelihood of
removing Wales harshly from the European Union by the Conservative Government in Westminster, we need to ensure projects like Jig-So continue to be funded. The need for these type of facilities in rural Wales will be increase with a hard exit from the European Union.
Eluned Morgan Mid & West Labour AM
THIS week, I’ve been
focussing on issues of fundamental importance to Wales. The Prime Minister’s pronouncement on Tuesday in favour of a hard Brexit will wreck the Welsh economy. It will also lead to a decade of instability which will dramatically reduce public expenditure and have dire consequences for our hospitals and schools. There is also the wider threat to rural areas like ours which have received so much support from the EU for training, investment and jobs. There was no assurance from Theresa May – and I note West Wales-based Tory MPs have been especially quiet about ensuring we are properly funded in future. We should respect the result of the referendum, but there is more than one way to leave the EU and
this so far looks to be one of the most damaging ways to exit for our country. One area where we do have an
opportunity as we leave the EU is how we manage Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs). Agriculture, the backbone of our rural economy, faces very considerable challenges in the context of Brexit. Farmers will be amongst those this will hit hardest financially which means a knock-on effect on food supply and prices. I have received many comments from local farmers on NVZs in relation to Pembrokeshire. I agree with a lot of what has been shared with me, in particular around additional costs being placed on struggling farm businesses and seasonal factors. I will continue to explore these options with Welsh Government. You may have read a lot about
the Wales Bill this week. I have spoken up for Wales in the House of Lords for the past few months to get the best deal and I supported the Wales Bill in the Assembly this week. Although it remains flawed and complex, I think this is the only deal we are likely to get in the foreseeable future. The Bill comes at a momentous time for our country - a time when our nation, our continent and the world seem more unpredictable than ever before. Although the Bill is far from ideal, it’s this or nothing. Because of our vulnerability as a nation at this point, the only responsible action is to support it. On the bright side, with the Wales Bill over, it means I will have even more time to carry on representing the views of voters across the region. It’s great to be properly home at last.
himself in Haverfordwest. They were holding the world traffic jam championships there, so it would have been rude not to pop along and take a look. The European Festival of
litter was still ongoing, with keen competition between the streets leading to Castle Square to see which of them could hold the most fast food containers. Up by Castle Lake Car Park
and the pine end of High Street, they had been hosting the world kebab-eating
championships,
while the area around Rifleman’s Field appeared a verdant wonder land of discarded wrappers and dog shit. While in Haverfordwest,
Badger headed into a shop looking for entertainment. And entertainment there was to be had, readers. Badger found a cosy corner to flick through a secondhand copy of The Man who went into the West and was quickly engrossed in Byron Rogers’ account of the astonishing life of RS Thomas. He became aware of movement
nearby and, being averse to human company, scuttled into a corner and tried to continue reading. Badger says ‘tried’ but the truth
is he did not try very hard, readers. The conversation that unfolded near him, while Badger was unobserved, was an eye opener. It was all about plans for a
building situated not far from Haverfordwest in quite pleasant countryside. Apparently, there could be a house and not a home, due to some restriction on occupation and the fact the
property had been so long derelict. There were, it was said, issues with ‘the utilities’. In the same sentence, the words
‘Local Development Plan’ were uttered and the red mist descended. The austere beauty of RS
Thomas’ poetry disappeared and Badger could only imagine what the late poet would have to say about the situation. ‘Corks’ and ‘blimey’ did not
feature in the range of responses Badger conjured up. Badger kept schtum until the
conversation had ended, although he fears the sound of steam escaping through his ears might have given away his presence. Badger paused before shuffling
off to the counter to cross the palm of a shop assistant with an alarming amount of money in exchange for the book and a smile. He headed into Bridge Street and the drizzle. Badger’s mind was a fizzing whirl of polemic and abuse. Now, readers, Haverfordwest
has many fine features – some of which are still visible among the worst that 20th century architecture could throw at it. It is not, however, the place to linger when one is aghast at the idiocy of planners. Rather like Ozymandias,
Pembrokeshire’s town planners invite you to look upon their works and despair. Badger slouched his way along, passing cafes, charity shops, letting agents, and discount retailers. The combination of the warmth, the rain, and the execrable nature of the wonders being wreaked in the name of progress
THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 20 2017
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