Neil Kinnock - I warn you...

In 1983 Neil Kinnock made an iconic speech, it was just two days before the General Election, and he knew he was about to loose to the Conservatives and Margaret Thatcher.

As the blog Owen Abroad says "He scribbled the notes from which he delivered the speech in the car on the way to the rally, and his voice was hoarse from campaigning."

The world has moved on since then, but I think we should be reminded of what he said, as some say, the speech could also be levelled at David Cameron's Conservative led Coalition Government. Not that the previous Labour Government can escape any criticism, as some of the below could also easily apply to them.

With thanks to the blog Owen Abroad here is the full text:

If Margaret Thatcher is re-elected as prime minister on Thursday, I warn you.

I warn you that you will have pain–when healing and relief depend upon payment.

I warn you that you will have ignorance–when talents are untended and wits are wasted, when learning is a privilege and not a right.

I warn you that you will have poverty–when pensions slip and benefits are whittled away by a government that won’t pay in an economy that can’t pay.

I warn you that you will be cold–when fuel charges are used as a tax system that the rich don’t notice and the poor can’t afford.

I warn you that you must not expect work–when many cannot spend, more will not be able to earn. When they don’t earn, they don’t spend. When they don’t spend, work dies.

I warn you not to go into the streets alone after dark or into the streets in large crowds of protest in the light.

I warn you that you will be quiet–when the curfew of fear and the gibbet of unemployment make you obedient.

I warn you that you will have defence of a sort–with a risk and at a price that passes all understanding.

I warn you that you will be home-bound–when fares and transport bills kill leisure and lock you up.

I warn you that you will borrow less–when credit, loans, mortgages and easy payments are refused to people on your melting income.

If Margaret Thatcher wins on Thursday–

- I warn you not to be ordinary

- I warn you not to be young

- I warn you not to fall ill

- I warn you not to get old.

Wales too small - what about Uruguay?

Yesterday I said that in my humble opinion Elin Jones AM would be a very good leader of Plaid Cymru.

I mentioned the dreaded 'I' word independence, which we shouldn't be afraid to discuss. I said "I do not think independence for Wales would be right as things stand."

This morning I listened to a conversation on the Today program on Radio 4. They were talking about the football game tonight, between England and Wales, and the Radio 4 chap said something along the lines of “why hasn't Wales qualified for any major football tournament since 1958. Take Uruguay for example, whose population is also just above 3 million and the amount of times they have qualified, and they recently won the Copa America."

And that made me think. One argument put forward by many against independence for Wales is - its too small.

Now I know you cant really compare Wales and Uruguay, especially if you believe some who say that Wales is the poorest Country in Europe. Somehow I don't think Uruguay is the poorest South American Country.

The CIA World Factbook says in a short history of Uruguay:

Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political, social, and economic reforms that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.

And in an overview of Uruguay's economy say:

Uruguay's economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated work force, and high levels of social spending. Following financial difficulties in the late 1990s and early 2000s, economic growth for Uruguay averaged 8% annually during the period 2004-08. The 2008-09 global financial crisis put a brake on Uruguay's vigorous growth, which decelerated to 2.9% in 2009. Nevertheless, the country managed to avoid a recession and keep positive growth rates, mainly through higher public expenditure and investment, and GDP growth exceeded 8% in 2010.

Just in case you missed it, a GDP growth of 8% in 2010, making them 14th in the list of country comparisons, compared with the UK GDP growth of the same year of 1.3% putting us in 163rd place on the list.

And the Country's main exports:

beef, soybeans, cellulose, rice, wheat, wood, dairy products; wool

Again I emphasize you cant really compare countries, as Paul Williams (aka The Druid) has pointed out on numerous occasions, but to me at least it disproves the argument that Wales is too small to be an independent Country in terms of population. Its really down to the question of whether we have the economy to sustain us, as an independent state.

I would also like to thank Rob Davies, 'The outspoken columnist who tells it how it is' of the Daily Post, for his support for independence - ok maybe not - but all you have to do is change a few words from his rant of today and you get from the section headed 'Old Boundaries' (were he argues to retain the 22 welsh Councils - which in reality don't follow old boundaries) the following:

"At [national] level, [..] government works best following ancient [..] boundaries to which many people still retain loyalty. Many of these are based on natural divisions such as rivers. Far more people will engage with [governments] if they represent the actual geographical terrain they call home."

I also recommend you read an article by Adam Price, which was published in the Huffington Post titled - 'Why Independence for Wales and Other Countries Makes Economic Sense' on 2 August 2011, by following this link: Adam Price - Huffington Post

Sunday Trivia - Liverpool and North Wales Steamship Company

I'm too young to remember the trips you could make from Menai Bridge to Liverpool, and other excursions around the North Wales Coast line, including Llandudno to Isle of Man.

The many services and excursions which were operated by the Liverpool & North Wales Steamship Company, sadly ended in 1963 due to declining passenger numbers. The last ship to operate was the St Trillo which is shown in the postcard below.


The Liverpool & North Wales Steamship Company was formed on the 19th January 1891. The company's main route was as described in their name, between Liverpool, Llandudno and Menai Bridge. The mainstay of the Liverpool to Llandudno and Menai Bridge sailings until their cessation in 1962 was the St Tudno (the second ship to carry that name), and is shown below.


Above images reproduced with the kind permission of www.simplonpc.co.uk

To find out more visit:
Simplon Website- postcards from Liverpool and North Wales Steamship Company.
Simplon Website - timetables for Liverpool and North Wales Steamship Company
Simplon Website - a detailed history of the Liverpool and North Wales Steamship Company.

When it comes to rubbish, were on top of the pile.

Well done all of us, Council staff and the hardworking binmen of Anglesey, who work for Verdant.

Once again; as reported in the Daily Post today "Latest figures from Environment Agency Wales show Denbighshire and Isle of Anglesey Councils have used the least amount of their allowance to divert biodegradable waste away from landfill." - we are showing the rest how it should be done.

I know it can be bit confusing at times - do they take this container or not?

And it can be hard for the elderly - but guess what I do, I offer to take the out the bins for them, I think its called being neighbourly.

Not forgetting that "the council can arrange a ‘fetch and return’ service for disabled residents or those who are having difficulty wheeling their bins to the collection point."

To find out more go to Council website - Household waste collection

Proud of Anglesey and the people of Anglesey!

Saturday connections – Copper mines.

Image by Nasa- Bingham Canyon Mine.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries Parys Mountain Amlwch, Ynys Môn was claimed to be the largest copper mine in the world. There has been talk recently of the mine reopening. See report in the Daily Post

However, the mine is very small compared to the operations of today - one of the largest operating copper mines is the Bingham Canyon Mine, also known as the Kennecott Copper Mine, a open-pit mining operation extracting a large porphyry copper deposit southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in the Oquirrh Mountains.

The mine is owned by Rio Tinto Group, who also operated Anglesey Aluminum at Holyhead.

According to Wikipedia the operations at the Bingham Canyon Mine is massive:

Employing 1,800 employees and hundreds of contractors, 450,000 tons (408 kt) of material are removed from the mine daily. Electric shovels can carry up to 56 cubic yards (43 m³) or 98 tons (89 t) of ore in a single scoop. Ore is loaded into a fleet of 64 large dump trucks which each carry 255 tons (231 t) of ore at a time; the trucks themselves cost about $3 million US each. There is a five mile (8 km) series of conveyors that take ore to the Copperton concentrator and flotation plant. The longest conveyor is 3 miles (4.8 km) long.

As of 2010, Kennecott Utah Copper is the second largest copper producer in the United States and provides about 13-18% percent of the U.S.'s copper needs. Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon Mine is the largest man-made excavation in the world, and is visible with the naked eye from space. It is one of the top producing copper mines in the world with production at more than 18.7 million tons. Every year, Kennecott produces approximately 300,000 tons of copper, along with 400,000 ounces of gold, 4 million ounces of silver, about 20 million pounds of molybdenum, and about 1 million tons of sulfuric acid, a by-product of the smelting process. Rio Tinto purchased Kennecott Utah Copper in 1989 and has invested about $2 billion in the modernization of KUC’s operations. KUCC has also spent more than $350 million on the cleanup of historic mining waste and $100 million on groundwater cleanup.

The current mine plan will expire in 2019. Rio Tinto is currently studying a plan to extend the open pit 1,000 feet southward, which would extend the life of the mine into the mid-2030s. The plan is contingent on approval by the Rio Tinto board of directors and approximately 25 required environmental permits.

e-petitions: Hillsborough Disaster 1989.

Send a clear message - please sign the following e-petition:

Full disclosure of all government documents relating to 1989 Hillsborough disaster.

Responsible department: Home Office

"Full government disclosure and publication of all documents, discussions and reports relating to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. *As requested by information commissioner Christopher Graham*"

At time of writing number of signatures 24,524.

Update: 23/08/2011 Even though the number of signatures has passed 100,000 it's still important for people to sign the petition. The greater the number of signatures are, the more difficult it will be for parliment to ignore the wishes of those who signed the petition.

Read More:
Liverpool Echo - Dave Prentice on why all Merseyside fans should sign....[the]...e-petition.
guardian.co.uk
liverpoolfc.tv - justice for the 96
WestHamOnline.net

A great Welsh actor - Huw Ceredig (1942-2011)

Huw Ceredig - much loved Welsh actor, brother of Dafydd Iwan, Alun Ffred Jones and Arthur, died aged 69 following a long illness, 16 August 2011.

Most fondly remembered for his portrayal of Reg Harries on the welsh soap Pobol y Cwm.

Read More:
BBC News - Ioan Gruffudd's tribute to Pobol y Cwm's Huw Ceredig
Newyddion BBC - Teyrngedau i'r actor Huw Ceredig

Sunday Trivia - this years largest cruise ship to visit Holyhead.

The largest cruise ship to visit Holyhead this year has been the Crown Princess, who's last visit to Holyhead was 6 August. She can accommodate up to 3,200 passengers and is the 30th largest cruise ship that is currently sailing. According to ShipAIS at the time of writing she was in the North Sea off Grimsby heading for Le Harve.

The largest Cruise Ship (currently sailing) is the Allure of the Seas. She has a capacity of 6,300 in all berths, but is very unlikely to visit Holyhead preferring the warmer waters around the Caribbean Sea. At time of writing she is currently docked at Fort Lauderdale. Keep track of all ships worldwide at marinetraffic.com

Source: Stena Line Ports and Wikipedia.

It's summer 'time' for some ice cream - Môn ar Lwy

It may not have been a prolonged heatwave, but Anglesey hasn't done to bad this year weather wise. So what better way to cool down than with a mouth watering – luxury handcrafted ice cream - better still a locally produced and award winning ice cream!!

Visit the Môn ar Lwy website to find out more.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - 90 today

Picture by Allan Warren

Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh; the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch,is 90 today .

His mother was Prince Alice of Battenburg, his grandmother was Princess Victoria of Hessa and by Rhine, and his great grandmother was Princess Alice of the UK, daughter of Queen Victoria (the grandmother of Europe).

His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, his grandfather was George I of Greece, and his great grandfather was Christian IX of Denmark (Father in law of Europe)

His father’s brother Constantine I of Greece married Sophia of Prussia whose mother was Victoria Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Victoria.

The son of Sophia of Prussia, Paul I of Greece married Frederika of Hanover and their daughter is Queen Sofia of Spain.

Princess Alix of Hesse, daughter of Princess Alice of the UK married Nicholas II of Russia whose grandfather was Christian IX of Denmark.

Not forgetting that Maud of Wales and sister of George V married Haakon VII of Norway whose grandfather was Christian IX of Denmark.

Wikipedia - Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX