Peter Black celebrates his birthday today!
He is now officially a Silver Surfer
Congratulations Peter!
30/01/2010
Trouble in Aberconwy's Tory Camp
Aberconwy is a constituency where the Tories have high hopes of gaining an MP in Wales, indeed it is their number five target seat through the UK. If the party can't make gains in places like Aberconwy, then it hasn't got a hope of winning an overall majority in the General Election.
However, Aberconwy will not be a shoo-in for the Tories. Plaid Cymru won the seat in the Assembly elections and in its pre-boundary change equivalent in the Euro-Elections, and Plaid is working hard to gain a similar upset again this year.
Given the nature of the seat one would expect the local Conservative Association to run a tight ship and maintain internal party cohesion. Not so. The local Association is in a mess and riven by internal strife and wrangling.
Last year one of the Tory group on Conwy County Borough Council was suspended from the group after refusing to support a Conservative candidate's co-option onto a local town council. Today another Conservative Councillor, Cllr Dennis Tew announced that he was leaving the Conservative group. Cllr Tew is a member for the Deganwy ward, one of the party's strongholds in the constituency and is President of Aberconwy Conservative Association.
Cllr Tew's defection must be a bitter blow for Aberconwy Tory candidate Guto Bebb. If rumours that Cllr Tew is going to transfer his support to Plaid Cymru's Phil Edwards are true, then the blow will be even harder.
However, Aberconwy will not be a shoo-in for the Tories. Plaid Cymru won the seat in the Assembly elections and in its pre-boundary change equivalent in the Euro-Elections, and Plaid is working hard to gain a similar upset again this year.
Given the nature of the seat one would expect the local Conservative Association to run a tight ship and maintain internal party cohesion. Not so. The local Association is in a mess and riven by internal strife and wrangling.
Last year one of the Tory group on Conwy County Borough Council was suspended from the group after refusing to support a Conservative candidate's co-option onto a local town council. Today another Conservative Councillor, Cllr Dennis Tew announced that he was leaving the Conservative group. Cllr Tew is a member for the Deganwy ward, one of the party's strongholds in the constituency and is President of Aberconwy Conservative Association.
Cllr Tew's defection must be a bitter blow for Aberconwy Tory candidate Guto Bebb. If rumours that Cllr Tew is going to transfer his support to Plaid Cymru's Phil Edwards are true, then the blow will be even harder.
25/01/2010
Lessons for Wales from Caledonia Online?
Scotland's first online newspaper is now live...
Caledonian Mercury, billing itself as Scotland's first online newspaper, is now available to be viewed and presumably off and running.
The Politics section seems to be manned chiefly by Hamish MacDonnell and contains some excellent articles already.Stewart Kirkpatrick, editor of the online publication, is clearly enthusiastic and passionate about this business adventure and I can only hope it sees a baptism of fire as people click in and stay tuned for the long term
A quick glance at the "paper" suggests that it has the potential to be a valuable new site for acquiring Scottish news and that it has a potential to fill a void left by the two main Scottish papers.
The void left by the two main Welsh Newspapers, both owned by the same stable; both more reliant on press releases and wire stories than on local journalism is immense. Could that void be filled by a similar Welsh venture?
15/01/2010
It's not Posh it's the Old School Tie!
I have just listened to yesterday's edition of The One Programme on Sky Plus, which rehashed the whole posh argument about Labour's attack on policy being made on the playing fields of Eton.
I feel that the media has got it wrong (dare I say biased wrong!) It has got sod all to do with being posh; it is all to do with nepotism and jobs for the boys.
The school I attended, Ysgol y Gader Dolgellau, formally Dolgelly Grammar School; established in 1666 has only produced one MP and has never produced a PM. Most of Cameron's prospective cabinet have gone to the same half dozen schools!
If half the cabinet had attended Byker Grove Comprehensive School, my eyebrows would be raised; I would think that there was something funny going on!
It has got sod all to do with posh, it has to do with an Eton education making you fit for Premiership and cabinet membership but an Ysgol y Creuddyn, or Sandfeilds Comprehensive, education making you unsuitable and cutting you out!
Having said that, one of the candidates in my constituency attended the same school as me! So Phil Edwards, Plaid Cymru has my Old School Tie vote :-)
13/01/2010
You know your old if:
You know your old if:
Your vote has ever counted to vote Labour out of office in a Westminster election!
05/01/2010
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.
03/01/2010
Sharing DNA with a Criminal Cousin
Former Policeman, Plaid Gwersyllt, on the Plaid Wrecsam blog notes that North Wales Police is rather slow in implementing the European Court ruling that the DNA of innocents should be removed from the police databases.
The campaign to remove "innocent" DNA is one that confuses me. My understanding, which is limited, is that my fingerprints are absolutely unique. You can't look at my fingerprints and say Ah! That proves that he is his father's son or his son's father! But that this isn't true of DNA.
Although my DNA is unique I share some of it with my family, and it is possible to do a paternity test to prove that my sprogs are mine and not the milkman's by using DNA.
As far as I know North Wales police don't have any of my DNA. A genealogical service does hold it; I paid them to take a sample so they could see how I am related to others who have paid them to compare samples. They regularly e-mail me to say that "Jo Blogs probably shares a paternal ancestor with you" etc.
Jeffrey Gafoor was convicted of the murder of Lynette White, because the police had the DNA of his cousin's convicted son, and that was sufficient to narrow the suspect range to members of the Gafoor family.
Even if all innocent people's absolute personal DNA is removed from the database, won't the DNA that the innocent share with the guilty still be on the database?
Even if I am as pure as the driven snow, but I have a criminal father, grandfather, uncle, son, grandson, nephew, second cousin twice removed etc, then won't my shared DNA still be on file, despite my personal innocence?
If this is the case isn't the argument about innocents' DNA a bit futile?
29/12/2009
Lib Dems - Abiding by the will of the people?
In a comment on his blog regarding which party the Liberal Democrats might support if there is a hung parliament after the next Westminster elections Peter Black says:
Liberal Democrats have said that they will abide with the will of the British people *if* there should be a hung Parliament, in deciding what our role in it will be
This strikes me as an odd, new management speak, gobbledygook phrase, which sounds good but means nothing!
The term abide is an odd one for a party with Democrat in its name to use. Abide means to live with in the sense of put up with something unpleasant or to accept through gritted teeth. For the Liberal Democrats to say that they will abide with the will of the British people is akin to them saying that they will look at the election result as one of the people have spoken – the bastards!
If there is a hung parliament, how will the Liberal Democrats decide what the will of the British people is? Will they ask a focus group? Will they ask a polling company? Will they go on the number of seats won or the number of votes cast? (If there is a hung parliament, there is a fair chance that Labour will have the most seats but that the Conservatives will have the most votes.)
Would a hung parliament mean that the people have rejected the outgoing Labour Government or that they have refused to endorse a change to a Conservative Government?
Perhaps the best interpretation of the Liberal Democrats wily words is we don't know - depends what we are offered after the event; not a good election slogan, perhaps, but at least an honest one, and one which is more straight forward than a sound bite that means that they can spin their choice, either way, as the cast iron guarantee given before the event.
Liberal Democrats have said that they will abide with the will of the British people *if* there should be a hung Parliament, in deciding what our role in it will be
This strikes me as an odd, new management speak, gobbledygook phrase, which sounds good but means nothing!
The term abide is an odd one for a party with Democrat in its name to use. Abide means to live with in the sense of put up with something unpleasant or to accept through gritted teeth. For the Liberal Democrats to say that they will abide with the will of the British people is akin to them saying that they will look at the election result as one of the people have spoken – the bastards!
If there is a hung parliament, how will the Liberal Democrats decide what the will of the British people is? Will they ask a focus group? Will they ask a polling company? Will they go on the number of seats won or the number of votes cast? (If there is a hung parliament, there is a fair chance that Labour will have the most seats but that the Conservatives will have the most votes.)
Would a hung parliament mean that the people have rejected the outgoing Labour Government or that they have refused to endorse a change to a Conservative Government?
Perhaps the best interpretation of the Liberal Democrats wily words is we don't know - depends what we are offered after the event; not a good election slogan, perhaps, but at least an honest one, and one which is more straight forward than a sound bite that means that they can spin their choice, either way, as the cast iron guarantee given before the event.
25/12/2009
Why Didn't Santa Visit Wales?
This is a short brake in my blogging hibernation in order to raise a question of the utmost importance. Why didn't Santa visit Wales this year?
NORAD is a military agency of the US and Canadian governments that monitors the skies in order to look out for missile attacks aimed at northen America. Because of their speciality NORAD is able to track Father Christmas's journey across the world. Every year NORAD shares this intelligence with the world's children so that they might know where Santa is on each stage of his journey.
Above is a map of where the great bearded one had been shortly after he had left the British Isles. The map shows that he had visited Scotland, England the north and the south of Ireland, but he appears to have flown over Wales without stopping.
Have the children of Wales been particularly naughty this year? If so the Assembly must do its utmost to ensure that the children of Wales are better behaved next year so that Santa doesn't ignore our country again! If our children have been as good as they usually are then the Assembly should contact NORAD to ask them to include Santa's visit to Wales next year.
Season's greetings to you all.
NORAD is a military agency of the US and Canadian governments that monitors the skies in order to look out for missile attacks aimed at northen America. Because of their speciality NORAD is able to track Father Christmas's journey across the world. Every year NORAD shares this intelligence with the world's children so that they might know where Santa is on each stage of his journey.
Above is a map of where the great bearded one had been shortly after he had left the British Isles. The map shows that he had visited Scotland, England the north and the south of Ireland, but he appears to have flown over Wales without stopping.
Have the children of Wales been particularly naughty this year? If so the Assembly must do its utmost to ensure that the children of Wales are better behaved next year so that Santa doesn't ignore our country again! If our children have been as good as they usually are then the Assembly should contact NORAD to ask them to include Santa's visit to Wales next year.
Season's greetings to you all.
27/11/2009
MOF - RIP
This blog is now a former blog.
Because of lifestyle changes I can't comment on hot off the press topics anymore. By the time I have thought of a response to current Welsh affairs others have said it better.
The blog wont be closed down, it is going into hibernation. Like Arthur and Glyndwr it may be awakened when Wales needs it!
Come the General Election and the Referendum, I might be persuaded to post again. But for the foreseeable future posts on this blog will be few and far between.
O let us see another day!
Bless us all this night, I pray,
And to the Sun we all will bow
And say, good-bye - but just for now!
Because of lifestyle changes I can't comment on hot off the press topics anymore. By the time I have thought of a response to current Welsh affairs others have said it better.
The blog wont be closed down, it is going into hibernation. Like Arthur and Glyndwr it may be awakened when Wales needs it!
Come the General Election and the Referendum, I might be persuaded to post again. But for the foreseeable future posts on this blog will be few and far between.
O let us see another day!
Bless us all this night, I pray,
And to the Sun we all will bow
And say, good-bye - but just for now!
18/11/2009
Sir Em Reports
Here is the long awaited Sir Em report.
£1.3 million wasted on an exercise in stating the bleeding obvious i.e. that the current system of obtaining competence for the Assembly is a dog's breakfast and sometimes referendums are won or lost on issues outwith the scope of the question being voted upon.
Will the next million pound Assembly commissioned report be on the defecatory habits of forest dwelling bears?
£1.3 million wasted on an exercise in stating the bleeding obvious i.e. that the current system of obtaining competence for the Assembly is a dog's breakfast and sometimes referendums are won or lost on issues outwith the scope of the question being voted upon.
Will the next million pound Assembly commissioned report be on the defecatory habits of forest dwelling bears?
16/11/2009
New Welsh Poll on Friday?
YouGov has sent out invitations to panel members to take part in the second of its series of Welsh political opinion polls.
The last poll invitation was sent out on the 22nd October and the results published five days latter. If the current poll follows the same pattern then this result should be out on Friday. It will be interesting to see what, if any, changes there have been over the past month.
Any body wishing to join YouGov and possibly be selected for the next Welsh panel can do so by clicking THIS LINK
The last poll invitation was sent out on the 22nd October and the results published five days latter. If the current poll follows the same pattern then this result should be out on Friday. It will be interesting to see what, if any, changes there have been over the past month.
Any body wishing to join YouGov and possibly be selected for the next Welsh panel can do so by clicking THIS LINK
09/11/2009
The Cost of Remembrance
There is much debate on the Scottish blogosphere about the decision by the Scottish Parliament that poppy wreaths laid by MSPs today can be claimed for out of parliamentary expenses. Most think that claiming for wreaths is insensitive and a shame on those who do so.
Others make the counter argument that an MSP isn't laying the wreath in his own right but in an official capacity as a representative of the people, and therefore the people should pay.
I could accept the public service on behalf of the constituents argument if only one wreath was laid on my behalf by one of my public representatives. But it appears that the chair of the parish council, my county councillor, the mayor of the county council, my constituency Assembly Member, 4 regional AMs, my MP, four euro MEPs, the First Minister, the Secretary of State for Wales, the Prime minister and the Queen (and possibly others) can all lay wreaths on my behalf out of the public purse. This is over representation.
The parish council should lay one wreath on my behalf as a parishioner. Any other public representative who thinks that laying a wreath is the right thing to do should do so in his or her own name and out of his or her own pocket*.
* NB I should point out, in fairness, that despite the fact that all of these people CAN claim the cost of wreaths, because they are laying them as representatives of the people few actually do so.
Others make the counter argument that an MSP isn't laying the wreath in his own right but in an official capacity as a representative of the people, and therefore the people should pay.
I could accept the public service on behalf of the constituents argument if only one wreath was laid on my behalf by one of my public representatives. But it appears that the chair of the parish council, my county councillor, the mayor of the county council, my constituency Assembly Member, 4 regional AMs, my MP, four euro MEPs, the First Minister, the Secretary of State for Wales, the Prime minister and the Queen (and possibly others) can all lay wreaths on my behalf out of the public purse. This is over representation.
The parish council should lay one wreath on my behalf as a parishioner. Any other public representative who thinks that laying a wreath is the right thing to do should do so in his or her own name and out of his or her own pocket*.
* NB I should point out, in fairness, that despite the fact that all of these people CAN claim the cost of wreaths, because they are laying them as representatives of the people few actually do so.
08/11/2009
Is being a child a criminal offence?
A long, long time ago, before most of my readers were born, I use to play ball in the street with my mates. I couldn't understand adults who complained about our play. What harm were we doing? What was wrong with having a bit of fun? Those adults who, when asked can I have my ball back? said NO and ranted about the damage caused to their Prize Dahlias appeared to be unreasonable, miserable and sad.
Occasionally accidents happened, a broken window, an adult hurt by a wild ball, a newly cleaned car dirtied, and there might be consequences if dad was told. Sent to bed, pocket money stopped or, in the most extreme circumstances, a smacked bottom. All such sanctions appeared unjust because we were just having fun.
My father, my grandfather, my great grandfather and all my ancestors back to Adam's lads probably went through the same experience of not understanding why adults complained about boys having a bit of fun.
Now that I am a Miserable Old Fart, I understand and sympathise with those long dead miserable old farts who complained about my ball playing on the streets and I can emmpathise with the residents of Penmaenmawr who complain about kids playing football by the Spar shop in the village.
However, what I can't understand is the attitude of the Police towards the kids playing ball on the street in Penmaenmawr:
Playing ball inappropriately is not criminal, it is naughty. Naughty children should be dealt with at home or in school, not by the police and the courts.
When naughty children are treated as criminals, childhood is made into a criminal offence. And if just being a child is seen to be a criminal offence then there is no hope for naughty boys to grow up to be law abiding adults.
Occasionally accidents happened, a broken window, an adult hurt by a wild ball, a newly cleaned car dirtied, and there might be consequences if dad was told. Sent to bed, pocket money stopped or, in the most extreme circumstances, a smacked bottom. All such sanctions appeared unjust because we were just having fun.
My father, my grandfather, my great grandfather and all my ancestors back to Adam's lads probably went through the same experience of not understanding why adults complained about boys having a bit of fun.
Now that I am a Miserable Old Fart, I understand and sympathise with those long dead miserable old farts who complained about my ball playing on the streets and I can emmpathise with the residents of Penmaenmawr who complain about kids playing football by the Spar shop in the village.
However, what I can't understand is the attitude of the Police towards the kids playing ball on the street in Penmaenmawr:
YOUNGSTERS caught playing football on the streets of Penmaenmawr risk being arrested and could face a criminal record. .... "There is a specific offence for playing games in the highway causing annoyance to road users." ..... "This is an arrestable offence and from this moment on, this is the approach we will be using. ..."This behaviour can land them with a criminal record. It’s only fair to give them all a warning first that they will face arrest if caught again".So a child will face arrest, a criminal record and prohibition for life from any job that needs full disclosure for playing ball on the street twice? What is the world coming to?
Playing ball inappropriately is not criminal, it is naughty. Naughty children should be dealt with at home or in school, not by the police and the courts.
When naughty children are treated as criminals, childhood is made into a criminal offence. And if just being a child is seen to be a criminal offence then there is no hope for naughty boys to grow up to be law abiding adults.
04/11/2009
Democracy Live and the Welsh Language
The new BBC Service Democracy Live is great and one that I am sure to use often. It offers live and recorded debates from eight UK parliamentary chambers, including the Assembly's Senedd.
It is also possible to embed proceedings from the chamber into blog posts. As the service is available it must be used!
Here is the discussion on the Welsh language eLCO held yesterday:
(NB the embedded video audio comes from translators for most of the debate)
Apparently it is posssible to take individual contributions out of full debates for the sake of partisan or personal embedding, but I haven't worked out how to do that yet. However, this is a debate worth following from beginning to end.
What I find heartening about this debate is the fact that its liveliness, the fire in the belly, the party political point scoring and the passion is based on an argument about which party is the greatest supporter and promoter of the language.
Listening to Tory and Liberal Democrat and Labour members criticising a Plaid Cymru minister for compromising on the language and not doing enough to defend it bought a tear to the eye; not because the criticisms might, or might not, be justified - but just because they were made.
A quarter of a century, or less, ago this sort of debate would have involved a powerless member of Plaid stuck in a corner supporting the language whilst the other three parties ravaged him or her for the stupidity of advancing the cause of a half dead language. The fact that today, a nationalist minister had to fight off attacks from members of the other parties who were falling over themselves to prove that they are the most ardent supporters and truest defenders of the language is evidence of how far the Welsh language cause has moved in so short a time.
Plaid's next big challenge is to get to a situation where all the other parties are criticising it for not doing enough to advance the cause of national self determination :-)
It is also possible to embed proceedings from the chamber into blog posts. As the service is available it must be used!
Here is the discussion on the Welsh language eLCO held yesterday:
(NB the embedded video audio comes from translators for most of the debate)
Apparently it is posssible to take individual contributions out of full debates for the sake of partisan or personal embedding, but I haven't worked out how to do that yet. However, this is a debate worth following from beginning to end.
What I find heartening about this debate is the fact that its liveliness, the fire in the belly, the party political point scoring and the passion is based on an argument about which party is the greatest supporter and promoter of the language.
Listening to Tory and Liberal Democrat and Labour members criticising a Plaid Cymru minister for compromising on the language and not doing enough to defend it bought a tear to the eye; not because the criticisms might, or might not, be justified - but just because they were made.
A quarter of a century, or less, ago this sort of debate would have involved a powerless member of Plaid stuck in a corner supporting the language whilst the other three parties ravaged him or her for the stupidity of advancing the cause of a half dead language. The fact that today, a nationalist minister had to fight off attacks from members of the other parties who were falling over themselves to prove that they are the most ardent supporters and truest defenders of the language is evidence of how far the Welsh language cause has moved in so short a time.
Plaid's next big challenge is to get to a situation where all the other parties are criticising it for not doing enough to advance the cause of national self determination :-)
27/10/2009
Welsh poll - read the small print!
Before Labour supporters start drowning their sorrows and Conservative supporters start dancing in the street in reaction to today's YouGov poll - a word of caution. Apparently The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). This has been one of the reasons why most previous Welsh polls have proved disastrously inaccurate. Wales is not a mini GB. In Wales the C2s Ds and Es are a much more important factor in elections than the C1s who swing middle England for one party or an other.
Its good to see the beginning of regular Welsh polling, but until there have been a number of Welsh polls which can be used to show trends and until there have been enough polls conducted near real elections in order for the weighting to be adjusted to reflect actual voting patterns the results of Welsh polls must still be treated with caution and digested with a large pinch of salt.
Its good to see the beginning of regular Welsh polling, but until there have been a number of Welsh polls which can be used to show trends and until there have been enough polls conducted near real elections in order for the weighting to be adjusted to reflect actual voting patterns the results of Welsh polls must still be treated with caution and digested with a large pinch of salt.
23/10/2009
BNP QT
If a member of the Green Party was on Question Time would all the questions be about environmental issues?
If a member of UKIP was on would all the questions be about Europe?
If a member of the SNP was on would all the questions be about Scottish independence?
No! There would have been questions about the economy, schools, health and all the other bread and butter issues. So why were all the questions on QT tonight geared towards the BNP agenda?
I was not opposed to Nick Griffin being a guest on the programme. Having him there I would have expected a question relating to race relations and fascism, but for the whole programme to be on just the one subject was wrong and biased, and a discredits to the BBC's claim to be impartial.
And oh! When QT comes from Llandudno next week will there be any Welsh questions asked? Probably not, on past form!
If a member of UKIP was on would all the questions be about Europe?
If a member of the SNP was on would all the questions be about Scottish independence?
No! There would have been questions about the economy, schools, health and all the other bread and butter issues. So why were all the questions on QT tonight geared towards the BNP agenda?
I was not opposed to Nick Griffin being a guest on the programme. Having him there I would have expected a question relating to race relations and fascism, but for the whole programme to be on just the one subject was wrong and biased, and a discredits to the BBC's claim to be impartial.
And oh! When QT comes from Llandudno next week will there be any Welsh questions asked? Probably not, on past form!
22/10/2009
Beer and Fags and Plastic Bags
The European Court of Justice has decided that Ireland, France and Austria cannot set minimum prices for tobacco products. At the moment tobacco prices in many countries, including the UK, have a great deal of variation. A packet of 20 fags can cost between £4 and £6.50. When governments use taxes to try and discourage smoking for health reason many smokers can absorb the price increase by switching to a cheaper brand, which they do rather than giving up, making the reasoning behind the health tax defunct. The EU, however, argues that binding prices restricted manufacturers’ freedom to set prices, thereby posing a risk to free competition.
Jeff at SNP Tactical Voting notes how this could have a knock on affect on plans for minimum prices for alcohol proposed by the Scottish Government. Although Nicola Sturgeon claims that the decision will not affect the alcohol proposals, like Jeff I'm not convinced.
Another knock on affect could be on National Assembly plans to reduce the use of plastic bags. A number of countries have tried to reduce the use of bags by taxing them. In some US states one has to pay a tax of between 5c and 17c for each bag issued, for example. However, the National Assembly has no tax raising powers so their plastic bag tax plan is in effect a minimum pricing plan where shops will be forced to sell bags at a set price. So the Assembly might have to think again about this policy in light of the EU's ruling.
Jeff at SNP Tactical Voting notes how this could have a knock on affect on plans for minimum prices for alcohol proposed by the Scottish Government. Although Nicola Sturgeon claims that the decision will not affect the alcohol proposals, like Jeff I'm not convinced.
Another knock on affect could be on National Assembly plans to reduce the use of plastic bags. A number of countries have tried to reduce the use of bags by taxing them. In some US states one has to pay a tax of between 5c and 17c for each bag issued, for example. However, the National Assembly has no tax raising powers so their plastic bag tax plan is in effect a minimum pricing plan where shops will be forced to sell bags at a set price. So the Assembly might have to think again about this policy in light of the EU's ruling.
Tanni for FM?
I have just completed a Welsh survey for YouGov. Amongst the predictable question about which party one would vote for and opinions about devolution there was this question:
Which one of these would you prefer to see as First Minister for Wales?
Katherine Jenkins
Tom Jones
Gavin Henson
Joe Calzaghe
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Ruth Jones
Ryan Giggs
Colin Jackson
Rob Brydon
Tanni Grey-Thompson
Charlotte Church
Duffy
Someone else
Don't know/ no preference
I voted for Tanni. Do you agree with my choice?
Apparently YouGov will be conducting a number of Welsh polls over the next few months, which will be analyzed by Richard Wyn Jones to see how accurate they are. The panel of those polled is made up of a weighted selection of Welsh members of YouGov. If you would like to join YouGov and be in with a chance of being selected for the Welsh panel you can do so by clicking HERE
Which one of these would you prefer to see as First Minister for Wales?
Katherine Jenkins
Tom Jones
Gavin Henson
Joe Calzaghe
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Ruth Jones
Ryan Giggs
Colin Jackson
Rob Brydon
Tanni Grey-Thompson
Charlotte Church
Duffy
Someone else
Don't know/ no preference
I voted for Tanni. Do you agree with my choice?
Apparently YouGov will be conducting a number of Welsh polls over the next few months, which will be analyzed by Richard Wyn Jones to see how accurate they are. The panel of those polled is made up of a weighted selection of Welsh members of YouGov. If you would like to join YouGov and be in with a chance of being selected for the Welsh panel you can do so by clicking HERE
21/10/2009
Why I won't have the flu jab
Despite not actually having gone to the Gulf my youngest sister suffers from Gulf War Syndrome. It took years of campaigning and of tribunal hearings to get them to admit it, but the Ministry of Defence do now accept that she and many other non-deployed service men and women have the syndrome. The cause of their illness is recognised as being linked to the vaccinations received in preparation for possible deployment.
One of the theories relating to the vaccine damage is that the vaccines contained an adjuvant (ingredient to make them work faster) called Squalene. In 2001 my sister was given tests by an immunology expert which shows that she has antibodies to squalene in her immune system, it is therefore extremely likely that this is what has caused her illness which includes chronic fatigue, severe headaches, nausea, muscular pain, joint swelling, short term memory loss and depression.
It is with some trepidation that I read that the Swine Flu vaccine which is being given to people in Wales from today also includes Squalene as an adjuvant, despite the fact that the adjuvant remains unlicensed in the UK and the USA.
Despite being in one of the at risk groups that should be prioritised for receiving the vaccination, knowing that the injection contains this dangerous substance means that I won't be taking up the offer. It's a gamble but I would prefer to take my chances with the flu rather than risk spending the rest of my life with gulf war type symptoms.
One of the theories relating to the vaccine damage is that the vaccines contained an adjuvant (ingredient to make them work faster) called Squalene. In 2001 my sister was given tests by an immunology expert which shows that she has antibodies to squalene in her immune system, it is therefore extremely likely that this is what has caused her illness which includes chronic fatigue, severe headaches, nausea, muscular pain, joint swelling, short term memory loss and depression.
It is with some trepidation that I read that the Swine Flu vaccine which is being given to people in Wales from today also includes Squalene as an adjuvant, despite the fact that the adjuvant remains unlicensed in the UK and the USA.
Despite being in one of the at risk groups that should be prioritised for receiving the vaccination, knowing that the injection contains this dangerous substance means that I won't be taking up the offer. It's a gamble but I would prefer to take my chances with the flu rather than risk spending the rest of my life with gulf war type symptoms.
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