If a week is a long time in politics, it’s an age in football.
It feels like several lifetimes since I was part of the campaign to keep Barry Town afloat in 2003, ending with taking the club out of administration.
Unfortunately, and to keep the story short, the club is in trouble yet again, with the owner talking about closing down the business.
Tomorrow night (Monday), there will be a special meeting at the Football Club on Barry Road to discuss ways of pulling the club out of trouble once again.
Barry is one of the biggest towns in Wales, and deserves a football club at the highest level. I just hope that we can pull the irons out of the fire once again and get back to building a club that represents all of the communities in Barry.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
In Touch
I saw a copy of the new Conservative leaflet in Barry the other day.
The strapline says: ‘No Negative Politics’
The headline says: ‘Labour Cut Means Council Tax Rises’
You couldn’t make it up, could you?
Friday, December 19, 2008
Newydd's Cemetery Approach Re-Think
If there was one story that's already cheered me more than the thought of Christmas, it was on Wednesday when my inbox contained a press release from social housing landlord, Newydd Housing Association, announcing a rethink over their plans to build on Barry's Cemetery Approach.
It is a little over a year since a stormy Vale of Glamorgan Council Planning meeting backed Newydd's plans to build outside Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery, ignoring hundreds of letters and a petition signed by thousands.
However, planning permission was taken back a few months later when it became clear that the land had previously been allocated as public open space.
Newydd had planned to appeal this reversal in February, but have now changed their mind.
Undoubtedly the current economic situation is playing on Newydd's mind as much as anything else (although surely affordable family homes would be the most needed accommodation in the present circumstances?), but it would be wrong not to pay tribute to everybody who has been involved in the campaign, either as members of the Save Cemetery Approach Action Group or independently.
I am also glad that Plaid have been unwavering in their attitude towards the development, consistently opposing this on the grounds that it would be inappropriate for the area and that, having attended the meetings and written regularly to the local press on the issue, I've played my part in the campaign.
Now we have to make sure that the 'rethink' doesn't just mean waiting until an upturn in the market to continue with the original plans.
It is a little over a year since a stormy Vale of Glamorgan Council Planning meeting backed Newydd's plans to build outside Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery, ignoring hundreds of letters and a petition signed by thousands.
However, planning permission was taken back a few months later when it became clear that the land had previously been allocated as public open space.
Newydd had planned to appeal this reversal in February, but have now changed their mind.
Undoubtedly the current economic situation is playing on Newydd's mind as much as anything else (although surely affordable family homes would be the most needed accommodation in the present circumstances?), but it would be wrong not to pay tribute to everybody who has been involved in the campaign, either as members of the Save Cemetery Approach Action Group or independently.
I am also glad that Plaid have been unwavering in their attitude towards the development, consistently opposing this on the grounds that it would be inappropriate for the area and that, having attended the meetings and written regularly to the local press on the issue, I've played my part in the campaign.
Now we have to make sure that the 'rethink' doesn't just mean waiting until an upturn in the market to continue with the original plans.
Back on the Blog
Apologies for not posting during the last few weeks and to anyone who's missed my thoughts on the world.
Unfortunately, there's just not enough hours in the day to fit in absolutely everything that I'd like to get done, but I'm hoping that the Christmas recess will give me the time to catch up with a couple of different topics and put my thoughts down on 'paper'.
There's certainly been some interesting developments in different sectors - the Queen's Speech always provides material to discuss, the provincial elections in Quebec, the trials and tribulations of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in Wales as well as some local news stories in Barry.
I'm looking forward to sitting down next week and bashing out some of my thoughts!
Unfortunately, there's just not enough hours in the day to fit in absolutely everything that I'd like to get done, but I'm hoping that the Christmas recess will give me the time to catch up with a couple of different topics and put my thoughts down on 'paper'.
There's certainly been some interesting developments in different sectors - the Queen's Speech always provides material to discuss, the provincial elections in Quebec, the trials and tribulations of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in Wales as well as some local news stories in Barry.
I'm looking forward to sitting down next week and bashing out some of my thoughts!
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