Saturday, August 15, 2026
Yet another mock castle
Wikipedia, describes the Castle as a Grade II*-listed building situated on a hill overlooking Swansea Bay, adjacent to the Clyne valley, near Blackpill, Swansea.
They say it was originally built in 1791 by a wealthy landowner, passed into the hands of the Vivian family and saw many eminent guests, thought to include Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill and King Edward VIII. William Graham Vivian planted the landscaped gardens in the 1860s. It was acquired by Swansea University in the 1950s, for student accommodation:
The University built two accommodation blocks, and, later, a women's hall (Neuadd Martin), with exceptionally fine sea views, on the hill behind the castle. The two halls, which were linked by external steps, shared some functions.
The City of Swansea acquired the mature park of the Castle, now called Clyne Gardens (Gerddi Clun), which has views over the bay. The historic landscape area of Clyne Castle is a Registered Historic Park.
In 2003, the university decided to sell the halls and to build more accommodation on the main university campus instead. The current use of the refurbished castle is as a block of one- and two-bedroom apartments. The grounds are protected by wrought iron gates and residents have use of the lawned gardens.
The student accommodation blocks and the women's hall were demolished and were replaced in 2006 by new housing.
Labels: lochist
Friday, August 14, 2026
Another Reform UK misdemeanor
The Independent reports that a Reform councillor has been suspended after resurfaced social media posts appeared to show him calling for the Commons speaker to be hanged.
The paper says that in response to a post about then Commons speaker John Bercow, an account linked to Kirklees councillor David Rowan wrote on social media in October 2019: “Hang the Dwarf”.
They add that in another post, which has not yet been deleted, the account also made homophobic comments, having said he doesn’t believe “gays should have kids full stop”:
Another post from Mr Rowan’s account also called for Westminster to be turned into a Wetherspoons, writing: “Think we should get our pick forks and whippets and demolish London.”
Mr Rowan, who was elected in May, also appeared to show support for far-right campaigner Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, writing: “Thommy Robinson I salute you for caring.”
The Independent has approached Mr Rowan for comment.
Mr Rowan’s suspension comes weeks after a Reform councillor was charged with posting a grossly offensive message on social media. Glenn Gibbins, of Sunderland City Council, allegedly made the post, which referenced the Nigerian community, in 2024.
So much for Reform vetting their candidates.
The paper says that in response to a post about then Commons speaker John Bercow, an account linked to Kirklees councillor David Rowan wrote on social media in October 2019: “Hang the Dwarf”.
They add that in another post, which has not yet been deleted, the account also made homophobic comments, having said he doesn’t believe “gays should have kids full stop”:
Another post from Mr Rowan’s account also called for Westminster to be turned into a Wetherspoons, writing: “Think we should get our pick forks and whippets and demolish London.”
Mr Rowan, who was elected in May, also appeared to show support for far-right campaigner Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, writing: “Thommy Robinson I salute you for caring.”
The Independent has approached Mr Rowan for comment.
Mr Rowan’s suspension comes weeks after a Reform councillor was charged with posting a grossly offensive message on social media. Glenn Gibbins, of Sunderland City Council, allegedly made the post, which referenced the Nigerian community, in 2024.
So much for Reform vetting their candidates.
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Has a convicted fraudster moved into Reform UK party HQ?
The paper says that Geostrategy International Unlimited, set up by George Cottrell last year, has changed its registered company address from the address of a company formation provider in the City of London to Millbank Tower where Reform UK has its offices.
This is despite the fact that Reform UK say George Cottrell has no role in the party and that he paid for Farage’s private security, staff, transport and accommodation in a purely personal capacity:
The company’s website also updated its address to Millbank Tower on its “Contact” page, alongside an address in Delaware. The website says the company provides opinion polling, “market intelligence and competitor research” and “brand positioning and demographic analysis” among its services.
A spokesman for Reform said the party did not share an office space with Cottrell, saying the tower was a “huge building” with “plenty of office free space to rent”. A representative of Millbank Tower said Geostrategy did not have an office space in the building.
Perhaps it's just a coincidence that Cottrell now shares an address with Farage's party, however his relationship with Farage remains controversial and aspects of it may well be the subject of a Standards Commissioner inquiry if Farage is re-elected today.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
The targeting of journalists is a real threat to democracy
The paper says that the News Media Association (NMA), which represents regional and national media, has raised concerns after Banks appeared to admit over the weekend to hiring private investigators to spy on a Sunday Times journalist.
They quote New Statesman who have said that Banks instructed Precision Risk and Intelligence, a private investigations company he once owned, to examine Gabriel Pogrund, the editor of the Sunday Times’ Insight investigations team.
This has led to fears that other journalists examining the funding of Reform and Nigel Farage, including those at the Guardian, could have been targeted:
When asked over the weekend whether he had commissioned investigators to surveil reporters at the Guardian, Banks, a Reform UK member and former mayoral candidate, said he was “not really interested in the Guardian” but declined to comment further.
The Guardian, along with the Sunday Times, has broken a series of stories in recent months revealing how cash has been given to Reform and Farage personally from donors and wealthy benefactors.
Theo Bamber, the chief executive of the NMA, said aggressive attempts to deter journalistic inquiry were at risk of becoming normalised.
He said: “Using private investigators to try to deter journalists from making legitimate inquiries about public figures is an attack on our democracy. Sadly, intimidation and abuse of local and national journalists is increasingly used as a weapon to limit scrutiny and deflect attention away from matters of public interest. This must not become normalised.
“Ministers must wake up to this threat to our democracy and do much more to protect the independent journalism which underpins our democratic way of life.”
The paper adds that when asked directly by the New Statesman whether he had paid investigators to look into Pogrund, Banks responded: “When you live by the sword, you die by the sword”:
Jemimah Steinfeld, the chief executive of Index on Censorship, said Banks should be open and transparent about the extent of his surveillance of journalists.
She said: “I really, really hope that it’s not happening to other journalists. But my fear is that it will be, because Gabriel is not the only one who’s asking the right questions about Reform.
“These tactics are often used to just stop the questions, to stop accountability, and that can have hugely detrimental effects on our democratic structure.”
As Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrats’ Cabinet Office spokesperson says: “Hiring private investigators to target journalists who are simply doing their jobs is a desperate attempt to dodge accountability.
“Anyone who uses or condones these tactics demonstrates complete contempt for a free press and should have no business in British public life.”
And apparently, Banks, who helped run the pro-Brexit campaign group Leave.EU, has form, having been reported to have previously hired what he described as “ex-MI5 and SAS” operatives to surveil political opponents in the run-up to the EU referendum.
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
When Fiction intrudes on real life
Metro News reports that Harry Potter fans have proven there’s clearly power in numbers, as their joint outrage forced the diversion of a multi-million-pound energy project.
The paper says that plans for a £430million Greenlink interconnector to carry solar and wind power to Ireland from the UK sparked fury from die-hard fans of JK Rowling’s books and their movie adaptations, who objected to the pipeline coming ashore at Freshwater West Beach in Pembrokeshire, which has famously become a mecca for Potterheads, as it’s where Dobby died and was buried:
The beloved house elf’s final scenes came in the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with fans immortalising the character by leaving illustrated pebbles and socks to mark his resting place.
So, upon learning of the pipeline plans and the apparent disruption they would cause to the beach’s dunes where Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe on-screen) buried the creature, Potter fanatics took action.
The result was ‘hundreds’ of phone calls to then-project director Simon Ludlam and his team following Ludlam’s interview on BBC Wales about the development, where he revealed permission had been secured from local authorities and landowners.
Speaking on the Energy Revolution podcast, Ludlam, who was at the helm from 2017 to 2019 and whose firm, Etchea Energy, advised, recalled how concerned and furious fans feared the cable going ‘straight through Dobby’s grave’.
The backlash became so intense that it led to him rerouting the interconnector away from the beach, keeping the grave intact.
‘My colleague, Tom, who works in permitting, said, “Simon, we’re going to have to respond to these calls”,’ Ludlam said.
‘And I said, “Well, Tom, I’m super busy.” And he goes, “No, no, we really have to respond to this”.’
When told of the anger, his initial reaction was: ‘Dobby? Who’s Dobby?’
His co-worker then insisted it was a ‘very, very serious matter’.
‘So we got back with the planners and discussed exactly how to reroute the cable so we wouldn’t go any more into Dobby’s grave.’
With the issue eventually resolved, the Greenlink interconnector opened last April.
At 190km (118 miles) long, the 500 MW high-voltage direct current runs a power cable between County Wexford in Ireland and Pembrokeshire in Wales.
It has the power for 380,000 homes.
This isn’t the first time that Dobby’s grave has found itself under threat.
In 2022, National Trust Cymru floated the idea of removing it after launching a survey about looking after the landscape.
Two of its questions focused on the Dobby memorial, asking respondents whether it should be removed or transferred.
It was decided eight months later that the tribute could stay, but the Trust issued a reminder to tourists visiting the popular spot, urging them not to leave socks, which are a reference to how, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry fooled Dobby’s then-master, Lucius Malfoy, into handing one, which freed him from enslavement.
Well, at least the developer listened to public opinion.
Monday, August 10, 2026
Reform figures in Wales linked to far-right social media networks
The news website says that their investigation examined the online activity of senior Reform figures in Wales, including their interactions with prominent extremist groups and individuals, finding that a significant number of Reform Members of the Senedd followed Facebook groups that shared racist content:
The investigation also found that some official Welsh Reform branch accounts, a Reform councillor in north Wales, and a caseworker for a senior Reform politician were following or engaging with accounts that shared such material.
Reform UK Wales deputy leader Helen Jenner is among a number of senior party figures found to be following the Swansea-based anti-migrant group Voice of Wales on Facebook.
The group is also followed by Senedd Members Iain McIntosh, Gareth Thomas, Laura Anne Jones, Joe Martin, and Catherine Cullen.
Reform’s official Blaenau Gwent Caerphilly and Rhymney branch Facebook account, the Swansea West and Gower Reform branch and the Alyn, Deeside and Wrexham branch are also following the account.
Voice of Wales has faced widespread public condemnation and platform bans for promoting racism, hate speech, and divisive anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Its founders Dan Morgan and Stan Robinson are supporters and associates of Tommy Robinson and have been described by anti-extremism organisations as far-right activists.
Morgan is a convicted fraudster who received a suspended prison sentence in 2023 for his role in a call centre fraud scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable people.
In recent weeks, he was removed from a Lush cosmetics store in Swansea after entering the premises and challenging two young staff members over posters displayed in the window that stated: “Migrants are blamed to distract you”.
Voice of Wales’ YouTube channel was removed in 2021 after it repeatedly violated the platform’s policies regarding hate speech and abusive content.
The group’s Facebook account is now one of its most active platforms for daily engagement.
A senior Reform party official previously told Nation.Cymru that Reform figures in Wales had been advised against engaging with Voice of Wales or any individuals associated with founder of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson.
However, our investigation found evidence that the warning was not being heeded.
Martin Roberts, the caseworker for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS Jason O’Connell, has regularly interacted with Voice of Wales through his official Facebook account as Reform’s Merthyr and Pontypridd campaign coordinator.
Mr Roberts was Reform UK’s fourth-placed candidate in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr at the recent Welsh election, but failed to secure a seat in the Senedd.
This week, he liked several posts published by Voice of Wales, including comments targeting Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood.
One such comment described the former party leader as a “crackhead”.
Mr Roberts also liked a Voice of Wales video which featured convicted fraudster Dan Morgan calling for the “reversing of Islamification” and the reintroduction of the death penalty.
The same video was liked by Reform Flintshire county councillor, Kristian Salkeld.
Reform UK’s official Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd Facebook account has also interacted with Voice of Wales, adding a thumbs up emoji to a post which referred to several Plaid Cymru Mss as “the goon squad” and Leanne Wood as a “has been”.
Martin Roberts also added a laughing emoji to this post.
Sir Fynwy Torfaen MS Laura Anne Jones added a thumbs up emoji to a post by Voice of Wales claiming that unless British voters woke up, it would be “too late” for the UK.
The former Welsh Conservative also liked a post by the hate group which referred to the Green Party as “goblins”.
Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd MS Iain McIntosh has also engaged with Voice of Wales online, liking a post which claimed that under Leanne Wood’s advise, Plaid Cymru would “destroy Wales”.
The article contains many, many more examples, providing strong evidence of the direction of travel Reform UK are embarked on in Wales.
Sunday, August 09, 2026
Clacton ad infinitum
The news site adds that the list for the Clacton parliamentary by-election, which was prompted by the resignation of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, is 90cm (3ft) long:
When people unfold the paper, they will find it is longer than most adults' arms.
Tendring District Council chief executive Ian Davidson - who is the acting returning officer for the by-election in the Essex constituency - said organising the vote had been "manic".
People have already started returning postal votes to town hall and most registered voters will go to polling stations on 13 August.
Davidson said: "We've logistically been looking at the size of the ballot paper, how we fold it to get it into the envelope so we can send it out to our postal voters [and] how we manage the polling stations."
Davidson said his teams are having to make changes to the way they usually carry out elections.
The ballots are "going to be sometimes longer than the table so we're having to do double tables and we're going to have to sort them in batches before we can verify them or even count them."
Paul Whiteley, professor of government at the University of Essex, said the previous record for the number of candidates standing for a seat in the House of Commons was the Haltemprice and Howden by-election in East Yorkshire in July 2008.
"David Davis resigned his seat and stood again as a protest over the issue of civil liberties," explained Whiteley.
"There were 26 candidates."
Prior to that, the previous record was the Newbury by-election in Berkshire in 1993, which featured 19 candidates.
Farage resigned as MP for Clacton on 7 July, following increased scrutiny over his finances and a parliamentary investigation, but the Reform leader is standing again.
Among the candidates on the ballot are 20 independents - also a record for a single election.
It is likely of course that Farage will win this by-election comfortably, though there will be a strong showing from Count Binface.
Inevitably, the standards inquiry into the Reform UK leader will then restart with the possibility of a recall petition and a second by-election.
I wonder how many candidates will stand in that one.
I wonder how many candidates will stand in that one.
Saturday, August 08, 2026
From copperworks to distillery
The remains of this complex, originally developed by Vivian and Sons, consists of a core Grade II listed building and additional Grade II listed structures on a 12 acres (4.9 ha) site. As Wikipedia relates the history of this site is over 200 years old:
The Hafod works was founded in 1810 by the Cornishman himself John Vivian. During the 19th century, this was the largest copper works in the world, employing over 1,000 people. The rival Morfa works was established in 1835 by Williams, Foster and Co., and the two adjacent sites combined in 1924 under Yorkshire Imperial Metals.
Swansea was core to the global copper industry, and by 1823 10,000 of Swansea's 15,000 residents were supported by the copper industry. By 1883 there were 124 works including 12 copper works in the Lower Swansea Valley. But as raw geological resources had waned in South Wales, it became more economic to produce copper elsewhere. In 1971 the Lower Swansea Valley Project had started to transform the most derelict industrial landscape in Britain, resulting in the closure of the rolling mills in 1980.
The former rolling mills were converted into the Landore Collection Centre, part of Swansea Museum.
At its 19th Century peak, Swansea produced 90% of all the world's copper.
Discussions to restore the site started sixteen years ago, leading to plans to re-develop the Morfa side of the site into a distillery and visitors' centre for the Penderyn brand being approved in 2019.. The project was part-funded by a £3.75m National Lottery Heritage Fund grant.
Other parts of the copper works have also been worked on; the Musgrave Engine House and Vivian Engine House were made safe and restoration is now underway, while the Morfa Bascule Bridge, which was built in 1909 and designated as a Scheduled Monument, is in the process of being returned to working condition.
The Vivian and Musgrave Engine Houses, built in 1860 and in about 1920 respectively, formed "an integral part of Swansea's heritage", the council added.
A council spokesperson said they had saved the buildings from "ongoing decay" several years ago, with a new river pontoon added nearby.
The Musgrave structure, which is a scheduled ancient monument, contains the rare Musgrave Engine, said by the council to be the UK’s only one of its kind to remain in its original location.
The engine's external elements would be protected with a covered shelter, with Wardell Armstrong acting as the council's consultants for the scheme.
Work is also planned to preserve two tall neighbouring chimneys.
Meanwhile, the Vivian Engine House would feature a mezzanine floor, while a new building would link the two engine houses and an outdoor terrace would be created.
These developments would, the council said, make it suitable for a range of uses, including restaurants and cafes, exhibition-style space and shops.
The council said it believed the loco shed, which was built in the 1800s, had possibly been last used around 1980.
The proposals would involve the restoration and reconstruction of the existing building, which the council said had suffered structural damage after being disused for "many years".
The restored loco shed could then have "a range of possible future uses", a council spokesperson added.
The development would also include the building of new access routes from the copperworks site, along with landscaping and the fitting of sustainable new drainage.
Nearly two years on and the council's website reports that huge progress has been made in restoring the historic laboratory building:
Contractors have spent recent months carefully repairing and enhancing the structure, with a new Welsh slate roof due to be installed next.
The project is expected to be completed this year, after which the building will be ready for fitting out by a future occupier.
The Laboratory Building once played a key role in the world-famous copperworks that helped put Swansea on the global industrial map.
The council also report on progress in restoring the bascule bridge with construction expected to start soon:
The upcoming phase is intended to complete restoration of the structure, including repairs to timber trestles, the replacement of some bridge elements, and the lifting of the historic bascule span back into place using a specialist crane operation.
Once complete, the bridge will be brought back into use as a public footpath and cycle track, helping to improve access and connectivity along the river corridor.
Labels: lochist
Friday, August 07, 2026
Climate change ushers in record-breaking July
The paper adds that England and Wales also provisionally recorded their driest July since records began in 1836, with Wales having its joint warmest July on record for mean temperature, while England recorded its second warmest July:
The Met Office said the “remarkable conditions” this year came amid a summer marked by multiple heat records.
The heatwaves have been made more intense and more likely by the fossil fuel-driven climate crisis. The heatwave that affected western Europe at the end of June was the most severe and widespread ever.
July was the sixth consecutive month this year to have had above average mean temperatures, with only January so far experiencing mean temperatures below average.
Dr Amy Doherty, a science manager at the Met Office, said: “The combination of record-breaking dryness, exceptional warmth and unprecedented sunshine has delivered one of the most notable summer months in our historical records.”
The Environment Agency said the conditions were affecting farmers, wildlife and the amount of water available for public and business use.
Half of England and the whole of Wales were last week declared to be officially in drought. In England, 40% of the population are under a hosepipe ban.
The National Farmers’ Union has warned the punishing drought could lead to shortages of certain foods in Britain.
A series of huge wildfires, supercharged by the climate crisis, has torched large parts of Europe this summer.
Greece is battling one of the worst seasons of wildfires of the past decade and in France, thousands of evacuees were allowed to return home or to holiday accommodation on Monday after the country’s largest wildfire on record.
Rivers in Europe are facing extremely low flows. The Danube’s water flow has fallen to 1,500 cubic metres a second in Romania, less than a third of its July average.
The Met Office said on Monday England had its driest July on record, with only 6.5mm of rainfall. That is only 10% of its long-term meteorological average for the month, and less than half of the previous record of 13.4mm set in 1911.
Wales has also had its driest July on record, with 9.3mm of rainfall – only 9% of its long-term meteorological average for the month.
This is a wake-up call those comparing the heatwave to 1976, and claiming that there is nothing to be worried about. Not only has this latest spell of weather been hotter than 1976, it has lasted longer and, unlike that time, is being repeated year on year.
Climate change is here to stay and it is going to make out lives very uncomfortable.
Thursday, August 06, 2026
Burnham and the devolved national governments
There are one or to missteps in the article, for example they are sceptical of Burnham's claim that “the people of Dundee and Bangor feel just as distant from Holyrood and the Senedd as they do from Westminster”, when in fact many people in north Wales do feel equally remote from the Cardiff-based Welsh government, but they are right that the Prime Minister needs to sort out anomalies in the devolution settlement and get reluctant London-based civil servants on board.
The paper has also confused the supplementary budget that Plaid Cymru failed to pass a few weeks ago with an actual budget. Losing a vote on the latter is a far more serious affair than what transpired when Ministers couldn't get Labour to agree to the way they wanted to tweak the existing budget.
The paper is absolutely right when it says that Westminster should not claim the right to bypass the devolved administrations in empowering local authorities in Wales and Scotland, and also in saying that Burnham should ditch Keir Starmer's approach, best characterised as him warning ministers against being “overly deferential” to the Scottish and Welsh governments.
There is, though, a lot of work to do if the new Prime Minister is to deliver on the expectations he has created outside of Engkand:
Inevitably there will be frustrations, rows and disagreements, not least over calls for the Barnett formula funding arrangements to be updated. The Scottish National party, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin will all have a powerful motive for taking credit for what goes right, and blaming Mr Burnham’s government when things go wrong. Matters in Wales are further complicated by the minority status of the Plaid government, which Welsh Labour has refused to support and which has yet to succeed in passing a budget.
But Mr Burnham’s direction of travel can be the right one for the devolved nations as well as the English regions. A confidence-building early move would be to repeal contentious powers granted by the post-Brexit United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, which allow London to distribute funds across the UK in a variety of policy areas. As the Institute for Government has suggested, Mr Burnham could instead fund the devolved governments to establish their own priorities.
Devolution, and the possibilities it could unleash, were at the heart of Mr Burnham’s rise to Britain’s highest political office. Entirely understandably, his first moves have reflected the regional backdrop to that ascent. He should also follow his instincts in the rest of the United Kingdom.
This is absolutely the right approach, and from a Welsh perspective, it should start with a new Government of Wales Act putting Welsh devolution on a par with that in Scotland.
Will Burnham accept that case, and if he does, will he be able to convince his more sceptical Secretary of State (and his Welsh Labour MPs) to go along with it? We will have to see.
