It's not only statues of those connected with the slave Trade we should remove.

There's a story that the clock tower at Pandy Farm in Merthyr Tydfil has a clock has only three faces because  the one facing Cyfarthfa Castle home to the Industrialist   William Crawshay  

was not included because then builders did not want to give the "Iron Masters the time of Day"It's probably not true  but I like to think it was.

The news that "urgent audit" is to be carried out of statues, street and building names in Wales to address the country's connections with the slave trade leads to me to think that tis should just be the start.

The BBC state that

It follows the pulling down of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol by protesters in June.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the Welsh Government review was "not about rewriting the past" but "reflecting it with the justice it deserves".

There have been calls for Wales to reassess its own monuments.

Black Lives Matter protests took place around the world earlier this year, following the death of George Floyd in the United States.

The 46-year-old black man died after a white police officer was filmed kneeling on his neck during an arrest.

The Lord Mayor of Cardiff has called for a bust of one slave owner, Thomas Picton, 

Nation Cymru expanded on the Story  

“The Black Lives Matter movement has brought to the fore a number of important issues we need to address as a country,” Mark Drakeford said.

“One is the need for Wales to reflect on the visible reminders of the country’s past. This is especially true when we look at the horrors of the slave trade.

“Some of our historic buildings are reminders of this painful period of our history. Some may appear to make heroes of historical figures whose actions we now condemn. Individuals connected to the slave trade may be remembered in street names or the names of public buildings. They are commemorations of a past that we have not fully challenged and that we should challenge now.

“This is not about rewriting the past – it is about reflecting it with the justice it deserves. If done in the right way, we can create a richer and more informed relationship with our history. We can find new stories and figures to celebrate. We can reflect a Wales that rightfully celebrates our diverse communities. This is what our past deserves and our present so rightfully demands.”

An external group of young people and communities will be consulted about the findings, he said.to be removed from City Hall.

 It's an excellent start and it should be the priority.

But there are plenty of people who have  streets or buildings named after them.

George Thomas  (Lord Tonypandy ) should be considerd for expunging In July 2014, British media carried reports that the South Wales Police were investigating allegatiIn March 2015, South Wales Police confirmed that they were investigating claims that he had been involved in child abuse.The probe ended in March 2017 with no action being taken.

There are a host of Coal, iron and Steel, Slate quarry owners and other Industrialist  who exploited their workforce who should not be honoured

Bowing to media and Tory pressure to reopen Wales must be resisted.

I must admit I am in no rush to go to the pub , and I am going to wait till I am assured that the current wave of corana-19 virus has come to an end and will keep an eye on any possibility of  second wave starting anywhere in the world.

Should the pubs re-open? If I was  First Minister I would have waited a bit longer to see how the lockdown  easing has worked before announcing that we would follow much of Boris Johnsons 's reopening of pubs fro example.

Police forces across the country said on the whole there were no significant issues.

“It’s vital that we don’t lose track of how far we have come and all act responsibly and play our part to minimise the spread of coronavirus,” said Bas Javid, a commander at London's Metropolitan Police.

John Apter, chair of the Police Federation, who was on patrol in the southern England city of Southampton, said it was a busy shift, one that saw officers having to deal with naked men, “happy” drunks as well as “angry” drunks. He said the shift “managed to cope” but it was “crystal clear” that those who have imbibed one too many cannot, or won't, socially distance.

Pubs and restaurants worked hard to get ready for the moment, spacing tables, putting some staff behind plastic counters and registering customers upon arrival. The wearing of masks is optional though, even for staff.

Rafal Liszewski, a store manager in the London district of Soho, voiced concerns about the swelling crowds on Saturday.

“Quickly everything got out of control and by 8-9 p.m. it was a proper street party with people dancing and drinking,” he said. “Barely anyone was wearing masks and nobody respected social distancing .... to be honest with that many people on one street it was physically impossible.”

Some fear the British government is being overly hasty, even reckless, in sanctioning the changes. The U.K.'s confirmed virus death toll of 44,220 is the third-highest in the world, behind the United States and Brazil. The reopening of bars and restaurants in the United States and elsewhere has been blamed for a spike in new infections.

So it is possible that we  may see a rise of cases across the boarder (Yes there is one)  and with news that the  

government of Catalonia has ordered an indefinite new lockdown for the Segria region of Spain due to outbreaks of Covid-19.

The confinement came into effect at midday on Saturday and has no end date, regional president Quim Torra said.

“We take a step back to protect ourselves and we will take all the decisions to stop the contagion,” he said.

Around 209,000 people live in 38 municipalities across the Segria region in the west of Catalonia, whose capital is Leida.

I never thought I was a member  of the elite belong on the State Pension and unlike the Vale of Glamorgan Farmer Andrew RT Davies. who is also a Senedd member , have probably zero influence 

Andrew RT Davies

@AndrewRTDavies

·

22h

Twitter has been at its sneering best over the past 24-hours. That snobbish & liberal-elite reaction to people simply wanting to enjoy a pint down the pub after months under lock & key. It’s been amusing to watch & in Wales we’ll get to witness it all again next week. Cheers

but I honestly can't see people properly social distancing and its possible if the weather improves the amount flocking to the pubs will increase rapidly and a corresponding rise in infections.

First Mark Drakeford  once said "England is not a Template for Wales to follow", which  is an important point.

Tories like Andrew RT Davies would rather we abandon the Firat Minister  approach and certainly that of the Scottish First Minister.

But bowing to media and Tory pressure so that we reopen Wales in the same way as England will only serve us if thee evidence is that it has worked over the boarder.

a

Welsh Tory MP seem unable to communicate in Cymraeg

The most telling part of the news that The Conservative MP for Ynys Mon has apologised for errors on her Welsh language website is that in a consithency which as a majority of speakers of Cymraeg she doesn't seem to be ale to employ someone who is capable  of doing her translations.

The BBC report that

Virginia Crosbie said the automatic translation used had not been "100% perfect".

I wonder if anyone thinks  automatic translations of any language is  "100% perfect" and use it in a official capacity like this.

A reference to the 2 Sisters plant on Anglesey was translated to "2 chwaer blanhighyn" - referring to a plant that grows in nature, rather than a factory.

Another press release translated sewer - someone who sews - to "carthffosydd" - sewers underground.

A button that invited constituents to book a phone surgery said: "Rwyf am archebu llawdriniaeth ffôn".

Llawdriniaeth refers to surgery in an operation.

In a tweet, Ms Crosbie said: "Thank you for your patience."

"While I have started learning the Welsh language, I am sorry that the automatic website translation is not 100% perfect."

She added: "We're currently working on a fully bilingual website.

It a pity Wales Online seems to have  missed the story  maybe because it's not a chance to claim that Welsh Translations are a burden which cannot be met by "reasonable" people.

Nation Cymru points out 

 The websites for the Conservative MPs for Wrexham, Clwyd South, the Vale of Glamorgan, Monmouth, the Vale of Clwyd, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Brecon and Radnorshire, Aberconwy, Delyn, Bridgend, and Montgomeryshire do not feature Welsh language translation.

The website of David Jones of Clwyd West is available in Welsh but the news content in untranslated.

As you can see many of these are in strongly Welsh speaking areas and the there are a fair number of Tories who speak  Welsh.

Some may put down  Virginia Crosbie winning of the   Ynys Môn solely down to English Immigration but this far from the actual truth .

Many Welsh speakers voted Conservative in Ynys Môn and throughout Wales , a smaller percentage perhaps but one wonders of those who did how many accept that their Tory MP does not consider communicating with them in Cymraeg of any importance whatsoever.

David Starkey 'slavery wasn't genocide' because 'so many damn blacks' survived! is appalling. Ban Him

When I was studying history at Aberystwyth  i like many had to ask the question over the age old question of whether you could be subjective or objective in the subject .

Having come from Coleg Haelech which had a reputation for left wing politics (The Kremlin by the Sea) I was far more subjective in my approach and had a preference for the Marxists Historians Rodney Hilton, Christopher Hill , and Eric Hobsbawn  who covered Medieval , Early Modern and Modern History. Though I can of course put out own own Gwyn Alf Wiliams as a major influnce.

That does not mean I was cemented to such a view  and some times found myself disagreeing with some of their arguments  and found other Historians may be put forward alternative arguments that made sense.

I would argue that I was objective in my subjectivity.

There were some Historians I found darn right offensive and Chief amongst them was David Starkey .though truth be told he was yet to achieve his infamy and in his own words become a "Telly Don".

Indeed he seems have reached his postion not so must for the context of his works , but his delivery on the media like the  BBC Radio 4 debate programme The Moral Maze,^[8] where he debated morality with his fellow panellists Rabbi Hugo Gryn, Roger Scruton and the journalist Janet Daley. He soon acquired a reputation for abrasiveness; he explained in 2007 that his personality possesses "a tendency towards showmanship... towards self-indulgence and explosion and repartee and occasional silliness and going over the top."^[9] The Daily Mail gave him the sobriquet of "the rudest man in Britain", although Starkey claims that his character was part of a "convenient image".^[] He once attacked George Austin, the Archdeacon of York, over "his fatness, his smugness, and his pomposity",^[6] but after a nine-year stint on the programme he left^[

Whether a "convenient image" or not Starkey has used it rather than the actual depth of his academic worth  to reach a public that he would never had reached in normal academia.

He had made several refrences which many see as racists.

In August 2011, Starkey appeared as a guest on the BBC's Newsnight programme together with Owen Jones and Dreda Say Mitchell,^[43] made during a discussion about the 2011 England riots. Starkey claimed that "the whites have become black", and that "a particular sort of violent, destructive, nihilistic, gangster culture has become the fashion".^[44] The then-leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, spoke about Starkey's remarks, saying "they are racist comments, frankly".^[44] The author Toby Young, blogging in the Telegraph, defended Starkey by claiming that Starkey had been talking not about black culture in general.^[45] Rod Liddle argued in support of the remarks.^[46] Jones described the comments as "one of the ugliest episodes of the backlash",^[47] claiming that "multiculturalism and ethnic groups have nothing to do with what happened".^[48] Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Starkey argued his views had been distorted, he referred only to a "particular sort" of 'Black' culture, and that the "black educationalists" Tony Sewell and Katharine Birbalsingh supported the substance of his Newsnight comments.^{[nb 3][49]} The broadcast regulator Ofcom said that Starkey's comments were part of "a serious and measured discussion", and took no action.^[50]

In a June 2012 debate, Starkey stated that a Rochdale sex trafficking gang had values "entrenched in the foothills of the Punjab or wherever it is", and was accused by his fellow panelist, writer Laurie Penny, of "playing xenophobia and national prejudice for laughs".^[51]

In November 2015 the University of Cambridge dropped a fundraising video featuring Starkey after a significant backlash from staff and students.^[52] A letter signed by hundreds of students and staff criticised Starkey's involvement in the video due to him "repeatedly making racist statements".#

His latest outburst may well see a final breach and even those who have allowed him space (because he's entertaining?) ditching him

This from the Independent.

 The 75-year-old, who is best known for his programmes about Henry VIII, made the racist comment while discussing Black Lives Matter protests on a Youtube show hosted by Brexit campaigner Darren Grimes.

He said: “Slavery was not genocide otherwise there wouldn’t be so many damn blacks in Africa or Britain would there? An awful lot of them survived...”

His comments prompted widespread criticism on social media. Former chancellor Sajid Javid wrote: “We are the most successful multi-racial democracy in the world and have much to be proud of. But David Starkey’s racist comments (”so many damn blacks”) are a reminder of the appalling views that still exist.”

David Olusoga, who was described by Dr Starkey as “an interesting and quite able historian” on the show, reacted by saying: “This is truly disgusting. And by the same ridiculous, twisted logic the Holocaust would not be counted as a genocide.”

The Mary Rose Trust, which is responsible for Henry VIII’s favourite warship, said was “appalled” and had accepted the historian’s resignation from the board of trustees.

“Mary Rose Trust is a charity that exists for the benefit of everyone and we have zero tolerance for such comments,” it added.

During the show, Dr Starkey also suggested that people should not “go on about” slavery because it has been abolished in 1833.

”There’s no point in arguing against globalisation or Western civilisation – they are all products of it. We are all products of it,” he said.

“The honest teaching of the British empire is to say it was the first key stage of world globalisation. It was probably the most important moment in human history and it is still with us.

“As for the idea that slavery is this terrible disease that dare not speak its name. It only dare not speak its name because we settled it 200 years ago...

I would actually see  a revival of programmes like "The Dragon has Two Tongues " in in which Gwyn Alf provided us  with a Marxist analysis of Welsh History countered by the Anglo-Welsh Perspective of Wynford Vaughan Thomas.

 A Marxist magpie,” Thomas calling Gwyn Alf at one time  him at one point. He was getting exasperated because he knew Williams was winning hands down.

Marxist Historians seem to have diapered from our screens , and instead we get rather s superficial programmes  presented by affable historians like Lucy Woorsley.

So I would like to see different interpretations  on out media , but not the racism of David Starkey .

Move the Tryweryn wall to outside the Senedd building.

After fascist symbols were used to deface the Tryweryn t one wonders how much longer it can survive as it is.

It was restored almost immediately , though I personally would wish that the Snowdonian Eagle a symbol used by the Free Wales Army some of who had far right views 

The Remember Tryweryn Wall") is a graffitied stone wall in Llanrhystud, Wales. Author and journalist Meic Stephens originally painted the words onto the wall of a ruined cottage in the early 1960s following the decision by the Liverpool City Council to flood the Tryweryn Valley to create the Llyn Celyn reservoir.^[1] Due to its prominent location, stark message, and history of repeated vandalism, the wall has become an unofficial landmark of mid Wales. The phrase "Cofiwch Dryweryn" has itself become a prominent political slogan for Welsh nationalism, appearing on T-shirts and banners, and as replica murals^]

Though I personally would wish that the Snowdonian Eagle a symbol used by the Free Wales Army some of who had far right views and was not i believe part  of the original.

In the wake of the latest (and disturbing attack ) on what is National Monument) I am renewing my call for the Tryweryn Wall to be  carefully taken down and take to be restored on the steps of the Senedd Building in Cardiff

I Don't have Photo Shop but something like this

It could  stand there reminding everyone not just elected member, that despite mass protests in Wales, and marches through Liverpool by Capel Celyn residents and their supporters, the legislation enabling the development was ultimately passed despite the opposition of 35 out of 36 Welsh Members of Parliament, with the 36th (David Llywelyn, Conservative MP for Cardiff North) abstaining. the bill was passed and they are there to see that it is they who should make the decisions for Wales and not others.

Ynys Môn. A modern day pocket borough.?

Ever since rotten or pocket borough, , which had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain unrepresentative influence within the unreformed House of Commons. were done way with  Reform Act 1832, there has been largely a consensus that UK parliamentary seats allocation should  roughly have the same number of constituents.

There was also a form of consensus that Geography should play apart and there was  a general unread  agreement that Wales and Scotland could have a lower proportion of electorate per seat  than in England  in that it is something like 

• 72,200 in England
• 67,200 in Scotland
• 68,300 in Northern Ireland
• 56,000 in Wales

Scotland used to have an even smaller number of electors per electorate Devolution changed that and in the general election of  2005 the Scottish seats were cut from  72 to 59.

The Tories are intent on preforming a similar cull in Wales we expect o lose eight seats in the House of Commons, more than any other nation, or region of England.

However he UK Government has accepted an amendment by a Plaid Cymru MP which means that Ynys Môn will remain a separate constituency from Wales’ mainland.

The BBC report that 

The island of Ynys Môn is set to gain "protected status", meaning it cannot be lost as a UK Parliamentary seat after a review.

The amendment was added to a bill to redraw constituencies to cover a near-equal numbers of voters each.

The decision was welcomed by Ynys Môn Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie and Plaid Cymru MS Rhun ap Iorwerth.

But shadow Welsh secretary Nia Griffith said it did not go far enough in protecting representation in Wales.

Under current plans to redraw the 650 constituencies around the UK so they represent a nearly equal population size, it is estimated Wales could lose eight seats in the House of Commons.

On Tuesday, a bill paving the way for UK parliamentary constituencies to be redrawn was reviewed by a group of cross-party MPs, including Conservative MP Maria Miller and Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake.

They each tabled amendments to the bill seeking to ensure that the island constituency Ynys Môn was not scrapped due to its smaller population.

The Boundary Commission, which is responsible for drawing constituency boundaries, is generally required to propose constituencies whose electorates vary in size by no more than plus or minus 5% of the average.

But, under existing laws, there were currently four protected constituencies where this quota does not apply because of their unique geography: Orkney and Shetland, the Scottish Western Isles seat of Na h-Eileanan an Iar, and two seats for the Isle of Wight.

Of course  Cynics or (maybe realists) will note that  the threatened  Ynys Môn  seat was captured by the Tories in last Decembers General Election and is a three way marginal

2019 general election: Ynys Môn^[42][43][44]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Virginia Crosbie	12,959	35.5	+7.7
	Labour	Mary Roberts	10,991	30.1	-11.8
	Plaid Cymru	Aled ap Dafydd	10,418	28.5	+1.1
	Brexit Party	Helen Jenner	2,184	6.0	N/A
Rejected ballots			121
Majority			1,968	5.4	N/A
Turnout			36,552	70.4	-0.2
Registered electors			51,925
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+9.8

However  Ynys Môn  is a curious seat in that despite since 1951 going from Liberal -Labour- Tory -Plaid- Labour -Tory, it is not since Cledwyn Hughes (Labour) defeated Megan Lloyd George (Liberal) in the 1951 General Election has a sitting MP lost his or her seat. and it only has changed hands when the party holding it has a new candidate.

So the Tories have history on their side in that Virginia Crosbie might well hold on to her seat against the national trend  along as she chooses to stand.

I agree that  would not only be better served  an unique island constituency , but obviously not because it is a Tory seat.

However I can't help feeling that that it is the second reasoning that has had the greatest influence here.

Ynys Môn may not be a "Pocket Borough" in the historical sense  but it seems the Tories are keen to keep it  as long as it remains in their pocket.

I suppose if  I was honest then under the "First Past the Post" system I would  prefer Ynys Môn  to remain as a constituency , but as  I support the Single Transferable Vote (STV)  my preference  would see it being party of a 3/4/5 seat constituency.