Been to Carno Show today. Continuation of my election strategy of making myself available to the people of Montgomeryshire. We leafleted every house in Carno last night to say I would be there today. I'm lucky that I really enjoy this sort of thing.
Paid off too. The commentator on the terrier racing, which could easily become my favourite sport, gave me a good plug when every single person was listening attentively. And Rid and Menna's Basset won a prize in the dog show. I felt quite proud. Fame through association. I've never seen a dog that I know winning a prize before. And my Uncle Cliff had come over from Pontrobert to win a dahlia cup - even if a vase of giant decs of the variety Sir Alf Ramsey was the best vase in Show.
But there was not a great turn-out - mainly because all the stock classes and the sheepdog trials had been cancelled as a precaution against the spread of foot and mouth disease. At least Carno Show didn't suffer the fate which has befallen several other shows this year - cancellation. There was a stand there promoting the cause of reopening the local Carno Railway Station, which was closed by Dr Beeching in the 1960s. What is really interesting here is that on 3rd Sept, the National Assembly is holding a special meeting locally to look at the idea, while the relevant Assembly Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones is widely thought to have already dismissed it. I will go to this meeting to observe what is a novel approach to democracy. It could be interesting.
Also visited the local school which was open for visitors and adjacent to the Show field. The School is earmarked for closure by Powys County Council. A real concern if this happens is the loss of a Welsh medium school in an area where many of the parents are non-Welsh speaking. In theory, the children could all transfer to the Welsh medium school at nearby Llanbrynmair - but the reality is that many will transfer to the non Welsh medium school at Caersws. The closure will be a blow to the Welsh Language as well as to the village itself. Today, I had a close look at how the communities of Mid Wales are being undermined. Makes me all the more keen to become the area's MP.
5 comments:
glyn, you really read like the president of the campaign for the protection of rural wales on this post
Success! Your name is in lights on "Independence Cymru" ;-)
Alan - and other places as well - and I didn't post anything I thought was controversial, or that I hadn't said before. If I have time when I've finished dealing with emails later tonight, I will post on this interesting subject.
The Independence issue is not so controversial in actual fact. It is an inevitable result of the devolutionary process, but one which Tony Blair, in his infinite wisdom, had not foreseen! (see my blog)
alan - I don't accept this inevitability - even if I do think that the devolution process doesn't make sense and is not worthwhile as it stands. The logical consequence is a constitutional arrangement akin to a federal system.
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