Professor Hywel Teifi Edwards

I was shocked to hear that Hywel Teifi Edward has died.

In academic circles Hywel was best known as an historian of the Victorian period in Wales, especially the history of the Eisteddfodic movement during the Victorian period. A description that makes Hywel sound like a dry, boring old anorak, something that he was not!

Hywel had the ability to take the hi out of History and leave just the story behind. 

He lectured like a stand up comic, but as much as one laughed, one knew that every single fact was backed up with meticulous academic research.

In his death Wales has lost an expert historian, a raconteur, a friend of our culture and our language and a patriot of the first degree.

His family, of course, has a bigger loss - the loss of a husband, father and grandfather. Huw Edwards, the BBC News anchor is Hywel's son.  My deepest sympathy is extended to all of the family connections in their bereavement.

Crowning the Blogger

Congratulations to Hywel Griffiths the author of Welsh language blog Blog Hywel on winning the crown at this years National Eisteddfod.

Llongyfarchiadau Mawr Iawn.

Wales has got talent

There was some dispute in the Miserable household earlier on today Mrs MOF wanted to watch the final of Britain's Got Talent, I wanted to watch the closing competitions at the Urdd Eisteddfod. As usual she won!

In some ways I was glad that she won, because it enabled me to compare the Brit TV talent show with the annual gala of Welsh talent provided by the Urdd.

There was a 12 year old girl who got the judges gushing with praise "one in a million", "unique", "incredible that one so young should have such a voice" etc. But if if she had competed at the Urdd on Thursday she would not have got through the preliminary rounds.

Congratulations to the winner, George Sampson, who I suspect won on a sympathy vote rather than on true talent.

If the likes of Simon Cowell and Lord Lloyd Webber really want to look for new talent, rather than line their own pockets from Saturday Night Crap TV, they would be better served by visiting the Urdd Eisteddfod next May than by having further series of their paucity of talent telly shows.

Eisteddfod funding secured

Back in December I published a post that suggested that this year's Urdd National Eisteddfod, due to be held in Conwy county might be in jeopardy due to funding problems arising from the Assembly's grant to local authorities:

The Urdd National Eisteddfod is due to be held in the county next year. Because hosting the festival is likely to give a six million pound boost to the local economy, the county had agreed to support it with £300,000. However, because of the paucity of the Assembly grant increase, the council may be forced to renege on this promise as part of its cut backs.

If the council's support is withdrawn the Festival may have to be cancelled. The 15,000 children who take part in the Eisteddfod will be denied the opportunity to display their talents and 150,000 festival visitors will be deprived of the opportunity of enjoying the event. If this happens it will be a disaster for Conwy and for Wales as a whole.

I was pleased to hear today that this problem has now been resolved following the Assembly's promise to ensure that all councils in Wales will receive a minimum 2% increase, which is a slight but important increase on the 1.1% that Conwy had initially been given.

Although a final decision about the funding promised to the Urdd won't be made until February 28th, the council's cabinet member for finance, Cllr Dilwyn Roberts has told Urdd officials that it is very likely that the council would now be in a position to donate the promised funding.

Well done Conwy Council!

Urdd Eisteddfod 2008 - Cancelled by the Assembly?

I have a lot of sympathy with Conwy County Borough Council's claim that it has been given a raw deal by the Assembly in the current financial settlement.

Conwy is the county with the highest percentage of pensioners in Wales. Because it has a large urban conurbation on the coast, the fact that most of the county is extremely rural isn't given due weighting and because the poor in the county live in the same council wards as the super rich (some wards contain more than 50 square miles) the poverty levels in the county are largely ignored when funds are allocated. Economic inactivity is higher than average in Conwy and wages are much lower than average. Despite its problems Conwy is to receive a measly 1.1% increase in its grant from the Assembly coffers.

There is no doubt that council taxes will have to rise substantially whilst services are cut.

The Urdd National Eisteddfod is due to be held in the county next year. Because hosting the festival is likely to give a six million pound boost to the local economy, the county had agreed to support it with £300,000. However, because of the paucity of the Assembly grant increase, the council may be forced to renege on this promise as part of its cut backs.

If the council's support is withdrawn the Festival may have to be cancelled. The 15,000 children who take part in the Eisteddfod will be denied the opportunity to display their talents and 150,000 festival visitors will be deprived of the opportunity of enjoying the event. If this happens it will be a disaster for Conwy and for Wales as a whole.

Canceling the Eisteddfod for the sake of £300,000 won't just be a cultural disaster, it will also be a political disaster. One of the biggest threats to a yes vote in the proposed next step referendum is the perceived north/south divide. Whether this divide is real or imaginary is immaterial, it is perceived to exist. All too often this perception is created by the Assembly its self.

If Conwy and north Wales is unable to host Europe's largest annual youth event because of a mere £300,000 shortfall, after the Assembly has bailed out one of Cardiff's 5 concert halls to the tune of 13 million then a referendum on further powers will not be won for a generation.

Supporters of devolution, in all parties, must realise that if they want more powers for the Assembly then the Assembly must not only be fair to all parts of Wales it must also be seen to be fair.

Whatever the formula, whatever the justification, whatever the rational; giving Conwy, Powys and Anglesey a 1% rise in support whilst councils in the south are given up to 4% rises will never be seen to be fair to the north. Allowing the Urdd Eisteddfod to be cancelled because a north Wales council is too strapped for cash to support it, due to Assembly policy, will be seen as yet another example of a Cardiff centric government that has no interest in anywhere that is north of the Beacons.