Llanegwad - a dilemma for the "Independents"

Most county council by-elections don't get anyone's pulse racing, but the contest in Llanegwad, a ward in Carmarthenshire, could be interesting. Voters go to the polls this coming Thursday to choose between Clive Pugh, standing as an "Independent", and Mansel Charles (Plaid Cymru). The previous incumbent, an "Independent", was forced to stand down because of ill-health.

The result will not change the balance of power on the county council, but a Plaid victory should worry the ruling Independent/Labour group.

Both candidates wrote to the Carmarthen Journal to set out their stalls. The "Independent" went first, and gave us a long account of his career and various activities. He made not a single policy statement, and promised nothing - not even the hackneyed "I'll stand up for my community", the meaningless pledge which we usually hear at election time. Perhaps Mr Pugh has come dangerously close to telling us the truth by neglecting to trot out this line.

The "Independents" like to portray themselves as somehow unpolitical and above the party fray, but Mr Pugh used his letter to take a swipe by claiming that unlike the political parties, the "Independents" decide things for themselves in the county. This criticism, if that's what it was, could just as well be applied to Labour, the "Independents'" chums, as to Plaid Cymru.

Before I turn to Mansel Charles, it's worth asking who the "Independents" really are. They are not Plaid Cymru, obviously, nor can they be Labour. There is a LibDem on the council, and two members of a group called "People First". But no Tories. Or are there?

The "Independents" are pursuing policies David Cameron would be proud of, and they have even embraced his "Big Society" as they shut down services and try to get charities to run them. Many of the "Independents"  would not be out of place in the council chambers of Surrey or Sussex. As the old adage goes, if it quacks like a duck....

But back to Mansel Charles. He has deep roots in the community, as apparently does Mr Pugh, and unlike his rival he nails his colours to the mast.

He will campaign against plans to close village schools, work with local groups to stop plans for largescale wind farms and try to get the council to bring in traffic calming measures in Nantgaredig.

Unlike his non-political "Independent" rival, Mr Charles did not use his letter to attack other parties or groups.

The problem for the "Independents" is that they are a political party just like the others, whether they call themselves Tories or not. They vote together with a rigid party discipline which most mainstream parties would be envious of. And they are committed to a whole string of policies and programmes which are undermining rural communities, damaging the Welsh language and hurting the people they were elected to represent.

I can think of one village not far from me with around 400 inhabitants. It now has no village shop, no post office, no pub and no school. And the council has stopped gritting the roads in winter, so that those without 4x4s had to walk 5 miles (and 5 miles back) to buy a loaf of bread in the last "big freeze". Short of turning off the water and electricity, it's hard to see what more the council could do to destroy the place.

Mr Pugh must be a brave man, because if elected he will find himself having to defend the closure of schools in his ward and cuts to services used by many of his elderly residents and other groups. His friends already on the council have been getting plenty of practice, so they will be able to advise him how to ignore his electors. And if he hangs around for long enough and does as he's told, he can expect to be given a committee to chair. That would bring his pay up to around £30,000. On top of his pension, of course.

Perhaps Llanegwad will give them a message even they cannot ignore.

This article is broadly based on my previous post.

Llanegwad - Penbleth yr 'Annibynnwyr'

Cynhelir is-etholiad yn rhanbarth Llanegwad, Sir Gâr, ddydd Iau nesa' ar ôl i'r cyn-gynghorydd (annibynnol) orfod ymddeol oherwydd salwch. Mae 'na ddau ymgeisydd, sef Clive Pugh (annibynnol) a Mansel Charles (Plaid Cymru), a chafodd y ddau ohonynt ddatgan eu syniadau ar dudalen llythyrau'r Carmarthen Journal yn ddiweddar.

Ardal wledig fawr yng nghanol y sir yw Llanegwad sy'n ymestyn o Frechfa i Bontargothi gyda chanran uchel o siaradwyr Cymraeg.

Bu'n ddidorol cymharu'r ddwy lythyr. Dau ddyn gyda gwreiddiau dwfn yn yr ardal, does fawr o ddim i'w gwahaniaethu ar y wyneb, heblaw am eu hagweddau gwleidyddol.

Doedd dim sôn yn llythyr Clive Pugh am unrhyw bolisi, a llwyddodd ysgrifrennu llythyr hir am etholiad heb ymrwymiad am ddim. Roedd yn falch o fod yn 'annibynnol', meddai, gan fod yr Annibynnwyr yn penderfynu popeth eu hunain o fewn y sir (ymosod ar Lafur, partnerau'r "Annibynnwyr", tybed?).

Fe addawodd Mansel Charles (ymgeisydd y Blaid) ymladd dros ysgolion yr ardal, gwrthwynebu cynlluniau dadleuol i godi ffermydd gwynt ac ymgyrchu dros fesurau arafu traffig ar yr A40.

Pwy fyddech chi'n ei ddewis?

Ac dyma benbleth yr Annibynnwyr. Y gwir yw nad ydynt yn annibynnol o gwbl. Mae'n rhaid iddynt wneud yr hyn y mae Meryl Gravell a'i chriw yn ei ddweud y dylent ei wneud, doed a ddelo. Er enghraifft, mae'r Cyngor Sir eisiau cau Ysgol Brechfa. Beth mae arweinydd y cyngor yn ei ddweud am hynny?

"Mae rhai aelodau (h.y. cynghowyr) yn arddangos gwendid eithafol ac yn barod i wrando ar bobl sy'n protestio yn erbyn cau ysgolion", meddai Meryl. Bant â'r ysgolion bach, felly, ac mae'r "Annibynnwyr" yn gorfod cefnogi pob dim sy'n dod o'r bós yng Nghaerfyrddin.

Mae'r cyngor yn cau ysgolion, canolfannau dydd ar gyfer hen bobol, llyfrgelloedd ac ati. Rhaid iddyn nhw arbed yn rhywle, mae'n wir, ond maent yn arllwys arian mawr i mewn i brosectiau newydd megis ali fowlio yng Nghaerfyrddin ar yr un pryd.

Trist yw dweud bod ein cyngor sir yn tanseilio ein cymunedau gwledig a'r iaith Gymraeg trwy ei bolisiau.

Y gair olaf i Ffred Ffransis sy'n siarad mor huawdl am yr effaith o gau ysgolion bach.

Gŵyl Fwyd Castellnewydd Emlyn (oh, and the Phallus)

It is good to report that the first food festival in Newcastle Emlyn has been a great success.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather, with heavy showers just before the event started, but an otherwise dry day. Attendance was high, and all of the stalls have been busy. The most encouraging thing was the quality and range of food and other produce on offer, and just about all of it from within a few miles of the town. There were local meat producers, cheeses, chutneys, cakes, bread, fruit and vegetables. My 8 year-old son wolfed down a rabbit burger, followed by a local toffee ice cream.

Even better than all of this was that the event was a local initiative, organised and put together by a small group of dedicated local people, and they deserve all the praise I am sure they will get. It was good also to see our MP, Jonathan Edwards, there and supporting the event.

While trailing round the festival, I had a chance to talk to one of the town councillors about the phallus scandal. The letter, which was in the form of an e-mail, bore a close resemblance to one posted some weeks back on the Newcastle-Emlyn.com website and which has lain there dormant ever since. Here it is:

http://www.newcastle-emlyn.com/golden-dragon-mosaic-an-invitation

I've got a feeling that we may be hearing some more about this.

As some readers will be aware, Newcastle Emlyn has been living under the shadow of a supermarket planning application for the last two years, a subject I will come back to another time. The sad fact is that Carmarthenshire County Council is still in love with big shopping centres and supermarkets. The most recent council "newspaper" trumpeted the arrival of yet more chain stores, restaurants, etc. in the new St. Catherine's Walk centre in Carmarthen, where you will find not one locally owned business.

So for once let's celebrate what ordinary local people, small businesses and local growers and producers have achieved.

Carry On Carmarthen

What with all those pesky journalists phoning every five minutes, the accusations of witchcraft, verminous bloggers and the coppers getting tetchy over being made a laughing stock, it's all got a bit too much for Meryl who's been taking it out on poor Mr James again.

"Twpsyn, do I have to tell you again? The next time that bloody woman comes in with her mobile, don't mess about calling the police. Shoot her!"