Monday, February 02, 2026
Has Starmer given China too much rope?
The writer suggests that the west is failing in its use of media as a soft power device to resist China’s success in spreading its critical narratives about the West across Africa, the fastest-growing continent where one in four of the world’s population will live by 2050.
He says that this is a story of British and American retreat cleverly exploited by China to win the battle for African eyes and ears, through correspondents in almost every African capital grabbing broadcasting opportunities left behind, of journalists trained to deliver pro-Beijing messages:
One way to explain this is that, in many parts of Africa, there’s growing anti-American and anti-Western sentiment. Part of it is stoked by domestic media. But foreign media also play a role.
Now, just when the BBC World Service must expand to confront this challenge, its presence could shrivel further – because it relies on funding from the UK’s international development budget, which is being cut by billions of pounds.
While the World Service waits to hear its funding fate, the country Starmer is visiting is marching ahead in this information war to reinforce its position as the biggest media player in Africa by some distance.
Its weapons are not only the English language channel of the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN), the state news agency Xinhua, and the Communist Party-owned newspaper China Daily, but a network of partnerships with local organisations.
Many African countries are transitioning from analogue to digital TV – as we did 20 years ago – and the Chinese have secured many of those tenders. It means its company StarTimes, privately owned, operates the infrastructure through which most African countries get their TV.
CGTN sets aside programmes for “non-professional journalists”, who are given resources to tell their stories. Hey presto, those stories tend to be aligned with Beijing.
While many news organisations are prevented from reporting freely on sensitive topics in China, such as Beijing’s repressive policies in Xinjiang, “news influencers” on YouTube and TikTok are given “free” access to show a picture-perfect image of China, free of anything remotely uncomfortable.
Up to 70 per cent of young people in Kenya and Nigeria get their news from YouTube, now an incredibly important source of information. CGTN is high up among international broadcasters for YouTube users.
The China Index, a civil society project studying China’s growing global grip, including over media, identified 76 countries where outlets deliver Chinese state-funded content – including 14 in Africa.
Policymakers in European capitals may hope disinformation can be debunked through factchecking or media literacy campaigns, but those tactics will not succeed where anti-West narratives are allowed to feed on deep-seated mistrust.
It does not have to be like this. The BBC remains very popular. In a 2024 survey, 60 per cnt of Zambians and over 40 per cent of South Africans said they get their news from the BBC. The corporation is seen as a symbol of media freedom in many parts of the world. But its status will wither unless it broadcasts its values, unless it stays in this fight.
Lesotho is a telling example of the path we are on. The national station switches off for several hours a day and the BBC used to be called to step in. Now it has to compete with China’s CGTN for airtime.
And money talks. When TRT, Turkey’s state channel, opened a Hausa language service for the Nigerian market, most of its staff walked out of the BBC’s office to sign up – because TRT pays better than the BBC.
Many people may not realise that a shrinking aid budget is an own goal weakening Britain’s standing and influence abroad, to the glee of authoritarian rivals. But the prime minister might like to consider the consequences while in China this week.
While Starmer is in China drumming up trade, his government, and those of other western powers like the USA are allowing the Chinese to win influence in key strategic areas of the world.
Sunday, February 01, 2026
The damning WhatsApp chat that led to a Parliamentary by-election
The paper says that fallout from the comments made in a group called “Trigger Me Timbers” last February saw Andrew Gwynne suspended from the Labour Party, after it emerged he wrote that he hoped a 72-year-old female constituent “croaks” before the next general election, after she dared to ask about her bins:
Now, an independent report for Tameside Council by investigator Linda Comstive has concluded that six councillors in the WhatsApp group had shown “complete disregard” for standards in public life, including one judged to have made “several remarks that a reasonable person would find racist”.
The findings will be a blow for Labour and come less than four weeks before the Gorton and Denton by-election expected on 26 February, to replace Mr Gwynne, who stepped down last week.
The contest has torn Labour apart after Sir Keir Starmer blocked Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing as a candidate, prompting claims of a “stitch-up” to prevent the prime minister from facing a leadership challenge if his rival were to return to Westminster.
The investigation into the WhatsApps conversations came after a formal complaint about Mr Gwynne and other Labour figures making “disgusting, racist, sexist, homophobic and vile comments”.
In total, 11 Labour councillors were suspended by the party over the revelations in February last year, but the investigation looked into six of them – Mr Gwynne’s wife, councillor Alison Gwynne, along with councillors Brenda Warrington, George Newton, Claire Reid, Jack Naylor and George Jones.
Among the report’s findings was that Mr Naylor made an antisemitic joke by changing the lyrics of an Elton John song to “And I guess that’s why she hates all the Jews” in one set of exchanges about an unnamed person.
In a statement, Mr Naylor offered a full apology, writing: “There is no justification for my involvement, irrespective of any inexperience – I take full responsibility for my actions; and for any offence caused, regardless of my intent, I am truly sorry.”
Meanwhile, Mr Newton was found to have “persistently abused and denigrated” individuals by using remarks that “a reasonable person would find racist”.
While Mr Newton said he regretted his “childish” language, he told the investigation that the remarks were meant as “private jokes on a private messaging platform”.
The WhatsApp chat also saw Mr Gwynne refer to someone as “too Jewish” while there were derogatory remarks about former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and former Labour MP Dianne Abbott.
A charity worker told Ms Comstive that one elderly Labour supporter, who is neurodivergent, was left “distraught” over being called a “terrible name” in the WhatsApp group. It was claimed that teenagers had since hounded him in the street with the insult.
They said: “People in the community feel that there is no one they can turn to, as there is no local Labour councillor representing them and no Labour MP; they are too scared of having their coffee morning resources taken away or bins not emptied. They have been told if you do not vote for us (ie Labour), you will be dead.”
This is not a good look for the Labour party to say the least, and may well come back to bite them in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Saturday, January 31, 2026
The Abbey that never was
In summary, Marino (the house that would become Singleton Abbey) was a house built for Edward King in the latter half of the 1700s:
In the early 1800s it was purchased by John Henry Vivian and transformed into the building known as Singleton Abbey (though never actual an Abbey or even a church). Through the 100 years of Vivian family ownership the building played host to Royal Visits and much spectacle, before finally being bought by the then Swansea Corporation, fore runners of the Swansea Borough Council.
A more detailed history is available here by working your way down the links under Singleton Abbey. The building lies within the City's Singleton Park, a large chunk of which has been developed for the University campus and for one of Swansea's two hospitals. The website tells us that the history of Singleton goes back further than some people think:
Oliver Cromwell’s Survey of Gower in 1650 identifies a property known as Singleton made up of 32 acres and valued at a high rate of £7, 4s, 0d per annum and described as a mansion house, barn and certain parcels of arable pasture and rough ground lying all together about the house called by the name of Singletons which is held by David Jones and late of Ellis Price, gent. To the east of this lay the farm of Tir Powell.
The farm Tir Powell (with its 15 ½ acres), once belonging to the old Manor of East and West Millwood, and was owned by Silvanus Bevan and occupied by William Padley (1762–1801), (both Quakers and Swansea merchants) in the 1770s. The LTAs of 1773 identify Singletown as owned by the Duke of Beaufort and held by David Lewis and Sarah Hugh.
In 1781 occupancy passed to Jane Matthew until 1784 when it was acquired by Edward King Esq (1750-1819). Following his arrival to Swansea, King successfully procured the title of Deputy Comptroller of Customs for the Port of Swansea (appointed in 1786) and Collector of Customs between 1810-1815. Subsequently, thereafter King demolished the original farm and constructed a fine new octagonal villa in 1786, which he named Marino.
King hired the Swansea regency architect William Jernegan to build a house for him that would be unique in the country. This house would be known as Marino in the first instance and later as Singleton, Singleton House and Singleton Abbey depending on the author/source.
Shooting ahead through the 140 years of construction and reconstruction, the website recalls that on 17th July 1919, Singleton was sold to the Swansea Corporation. They paid £ 90,000 for it [nearly £5 million, in 2021].
Swansea University’s foundation stone was laid by King George V on 19 July 1920 and 89 students (including eight female students) enrolled that same year. By September 1939, there were 65 staff and 485 students:
In 1947 there were just two permanent buildings on campus: Singleton Abbey and the library. The Principal, J S Fulton, recognised the need to expand the estate and had a vision of a self-contained community, with residential, social and academic facilities on a single site. His vision was to become the first university campus in the UK.
By 1960 a large-scale development programme was underway that would see the construction of new halls of residence, the Maths and Science Tower, and College House (later renamed Fulton House).
Today, Swansea University has around 20,000 to 21,000 students, with recent figures from 2023/24 showing 21,225 students, comprising about 15,690 undergraduates and 5,540 postgraduates on two separate campuses.
A more detailed history is available here by working your way down the links under Singleton Abbey. The building lies within the City's Singleton Park, a large chunk of which has been developed for the University campus and for one of Swansea's two hospitals. The website tells us that the history of Singleton goes back further than some people think:
Oliver Cromwell’s Survey of Gower in 1650 identifies a property known as Singleton made up of 32 acres and valued at a high rate of £7, 4s, 0d per annum and described as a mansion house, barn and certain parcels of arable pasture and rough ground lying all together about the house called by the name of Singletons which is held by David Jones and late of Ellis Price, gent. To the east of this lay the farm of Tir Powell.
The farm Tir Powell (with its 15 ½ acres), once belonging to the old Manor of East and West Millwood, and was owned by Silvanus Bevan and occupied by William Padley (1762–1801), (both Quakers and Swansea merchants) in the 1770s. The LTAs of 1773 identify Singletown as owned by the Duke of Beaufort and held by David Lewis and Sarah Hugh.
In 1781 occupancy passed to Jane Matthew until 1784 when it was acquired by Edward King Esq (1750-1819). Following his arrival to Swansea, King successfully procured the title of Deputy Comptroller of Customs for the Port of Swansea (appointed in 1786) and Collector of Customs between 1810-1815. Subsequently, thereafter King demolished the original farm and constructed a fine new octagonal villa in 1786, which he named Marino.
King hired the Swansea regency architect William Jernegan to build a house for him that would be unique in the country. This house would be known as Marino in the first instance and later as Singleton, Singleton House and Singleton Abbey depending on the author/source.
Shooting ahead through the 140 years of construction and reconstruction, the website recalls that on 17th July 1919, Singleton was sold to the Swansea Corporation. They paid £ 90,000 for it [nearly £5 million, in 2021].
Swansea University’s foundation stone was laid by King George V on 19 July 1920 and 89 students (including eight female students) enrolled that same year. By September 1939, there were 65 staff and 485 students:
In 1947 there were just two permanent buildings on campus: Singleton Abbey and the library. The Principal, J S Fulton, recognised the need to expand the estate and had a vision of a self-contained community, with residential, social and academic facilities on a single site. His vision was to become the first university campus in the UK.
By 1960 a large-scale development programme was underway that would see the construction of new halls of residence, the Maths and Science Tower, and College House (later renamed Fulton House).
Today, Swansea University has around 20,000 to 21,000 students, with recent figures from 2023/24 showing 21,225 students, comprising about 15,690 undergraduates and 5,540 postgraduates on two separate campuses.
Friday, January 30, 2026
Is Badenoch driving moderate Tories towards the Lib Dems?
With Keir Starmer away in China, this was a week off for her from prime minister’s questions. A slot she would delegate to the even more useless Andrew Griffith. Clearly Badenoch does not welcome any competition so Griffith might get the deputy leader job for good.
But Kemi wanted, no, needed attention. Couldn’t let a day go by without some me time on TV. So she couldn’t resist the opportunity to give a speech on the future prospects of the Conservative party. The good news would be that it was understandably short.
Her basic message was that there was no future. No hope. Weirdly the 40 or so Tory MPs in the room – they would, wouldn’t they? – and the 150 or so party activists loved being told they were effectively irrelevant. They could just have been the last Tories in the country. Certainly the last of Kemi’s Tories. Better to die now than face a thousand deaths.
This was a rejection of the one nation, centre-right Tories. They were toast. They could all sod off. Pinko lefties. The only people who were welcome in the party were people who were as hostile to immigration as Kemi. It was, by any standards, insane. It might have made some sense if Kemi were polling well. Then you could make a case for expelling all moderates. But she isn’t. She has taken the Tories from the high 20s to the mid-teens. Kemi won’t be happy until she has completely destroyed her party’s credibility.
We need an end to the psychodrama. PSYCHODRAMA had been spelled out in capitals in the advance briefing. Clearly, one that had been written by a keen student of Donald Trump’s media team. Enough was enough. Starmer was in his own leadership crisis, Reform were just doing stunts to distract from the brilliance of the Tories.
Only Kemi was showing the country a way forward. Except she really wasn’t. The Tories are implicated in the psychodrama of British politics every bit as much as the others. She claimed many MPs were only interested in their egos. Desperate for attention. Kemi is not blessed with much personal insight. Half the Tories are on defection watch to Reform. And after today, the other half will be on defection watch to the Lib Dems. It was hard to take anything she said seriously.
The Tories were on a relentless march to the right, Kemi insisted. Anyone who didn’t like the direction of travel could fuck off now. It was her way or the highway. She alone dictated policy. Shadow ministers such as Chris Philp and Mel Stride were just her useful idiots. She got that bit right, I suppose.
In the trail, it had been promised Kemi would say that every day she had been leader of the opposition, the Tories had lurched further to the right. She had meant that as a promise. Dreams can come true. No matter that most people would take this as a threat. If she keeps this up, who knows where the Tories might end up in two or three months. How much further right can they go? At what point does Kemi get a call from Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump saying she has really gone too far this time?
My only beef with this line is that I can't really think of many Tories I would want with me in the Liberal Democrats.
Thursday, January 29, 2026
Starmer doubles down on abolishing jury trials
The paper says that the prime minister, who is on a visit to China, said tackling a backlog that was forcing victims of violence against women and girls to lose faith and leave the justice system was a personal “fundamental argument of principle”, and suggested he would resist intense pressure from legal experts, rival MPs and members of his own ranks to row back on plans to limit jury trials:
Campaigners – including dozens of Labour MPs and peers from across the upper chamber – insist the reforms undermine a fundamental principle of the justice system and will not work. A report from the Institute for Government (IFG) last week said plans to introduce judge-only criminal trials in England and Wales would save less than 2% of time in crown courts.
...
While some sources have suggested the plans – proposed by Brian Leveson – could be watered down after a backlash, David Lammy, the justice secretary, is understood to be pushing ahead with them in their current form.
The plans include proposals for a new criminal court where judges will hear cases on their own, magistrates-only hearings for offences that carry a maximum sentence of two years or less, and judge-only trials for complex fraud cases. Leveson’s review recommended a single judge sitting with two people in a new “bench division” of the crown court, but Lammy scrapped the lay element.
The government said it had done its own impact assessment of the changes but would not publish it until the bill containing the proposals was ready. Starmer stressed that 90% of criminal cases were already heard in the magistrates court without a jury, and of the 10% that went to crown court, 7% pleaded guilty.
Starmer's intransigience on this underlines the anti-democratic nature of his government. There clearly is a problem with processing cases involving violence against women and girls through the system, but that should be tackled with increased investment not removing fundamental rights.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Reform by-election candidate shows true colours
The paper says that Matthew Goodwin, a hard-right activist, has been criticised for claiming recently that people from black, Asian or other immigrant backgrounds were not always British, saying: “It takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody ‘British’”:
Speaking at an event in Denton, the GB News presenter twice declined to answer when asked by the Guardian whether he stood by those views – described by the Liberal Democrats as “racist” and “abhorrent”.
Nearly half of the Gorton and Denton population – 44% – identifies as coming from a minority ethnic background, while 79% of the constituency identifies as British, according to the latest census.
Goodwin refused to answer the Guardian’s questions as he posed for photographs alongside the Reform MP Lee Anderson at a bar in Denton.
Anderson, the Reform chief whip, described Goodwin as a “fearless” activist who would “debate anybody at any time”.
Lucy Powell, Labour’s deputy leader, said Goodwin’s politics sought to “drive a wedge between communities in Manchester” and that Reform offered “division, animosity and hatred – not the unity and pride which our city stands for”.
The Green party leader, Zack Polanski, alleged that Goodwin had “a track record of anti-Muslim bigotry” and that his candidacy was an insult to constituents.
The paper adds that Goodwin’s selection as the Reform candidate has surprised some commentators, given his outspoken views on British nationality and Islam:
Only three weeks ago, he wrote that Britain’s “ruling class” was “silencing” debate about Islam in “one of the most serious assaults on free speech and free expression Britain has ever seen”. More than one in four voters in Gorton and Denton identify as Muslim.
Goodwin's candidacy is a warning as to what Reform is really about. They are not just concerned with asylum seekers, they are targeting minority communities, they are divisive, disruptive, and a real threat to community cohesion.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Home Secretary delivers another snub to Welsh First MInister
The broadcaster says that Shabana Mahmood's stance comes as the Labour party remains split over whether Cardiff Bay politicians should have direct control of criminal justice:
First Minister Eluned Morgan called for the devolution of policing last Thursday in a speech which warned Westminster Labour to act now to prevent pro-independence parties dominating the Senedd.
Plaid Cymru said the House of Commons exchange exposed "deep divisions" and a "lack of coherence within Labour's ranks".
Mahmood's white paper, published on Tuesday, could see the number of forces in England and Wales cut by about two-thirds.
An independent review will look at which forces should merge. The Welsh Liberal Democrats warned against a single Welsh organisation, fearing it could worsen local policing.
In the Commons, Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts said three independent commissions had recommended justice and policing be devolved to Wales.
She asked the home secretary: "Does she not agree that this package of radical changes is exactly the right time for the devolution of policing to Wales?"
In a short reply, Shabana Mahmood said: "No, I do not."
The Labour-led Welsh government has for years called for policing and criminal justice powers to be devolved to the Senedd.
Advocates of that policy argue it would allow the Welsh government to set policies that were more aligned to Wales' existing health and education systems.
The Welsh government commission on justice in 2019, external argued there was also "no rational basis" for Wales to be treated differently from Northern Ireland and Scotland, where policing is devolved.
Labour MPs have struck a different tone, however, with the now Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens saying in 2024 that problems with crime were too urgent to begin "fiddling" with policing powers.
Having already been snubbed by Labour MPs over her call for the control of Welsh railways to be devolved to the Senedd, Eluned Morgan has now had the same treatment from the Home Secretary. She just can't catch a break.
Monday, January 26, 2026
Is blocking Burnham a fatal mistake for Starmer?
The paper says that in a vote of the 10-strong “officers’ group” of the NEC, only one person, Lucy Powell, the party deputy leader and a close ally of Burnham, voted to allow the Greater Manchester mayor to compete to be a candidate in the seat vacated by Andrew Gwynne this week.
They add that the other eight members, which included the prime minister Keir Starmer, voted against the move, with the NEC chair, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, abstaining:
Allies of Starmer characterised the NEC’s decision as simply upholding party rules. But those who had urged Starmer to allow Burnham to stand said the decision was a calamitous mistake.
One source on the party’s soft left said: “No 10 have chosen factionalism over what’s right for the party. They will have to change course, not least once they realise they will lose the byelection without Andy.”
There was no immediate reaction from Burnham. But Mainstream, the left-leaning Labour group associated with the Greater Manchester mayor and other senior figures such as Powell, said: “Labour must reverse this decision if it is serious about putting country before party. We urge the party to reconsider in the interests of taking on Reform and building the strongest possible team in Westminster.”
Another Labour source said the NEC meeting, described as “respectful and collegiate”, had heard concerns about the cost of holding a mayoral byelection to replace Burnham two years into his term, and worries about a divisive campaign by Reform UK.
One tweets summs up how Starmer has put his future on the line by this decision:
In the knifing of Burnham, no senior Labour politician got blood on their hands. Shabana Mahmood, shielded by convention, chaired the crucial NEC meeting but did not vote (on the morning media round she had praised Burnham as an “exceptional politician”). Deputy Leader Lucy Powell, unsurprisingly, cast a lonely vote for Burnham. Wes Streeting condemned the anonymous briefings against Burnham as “disgraceful” and, without endorsing Burnham’s run, said the party needed “the best possible candidate” in Gorton and Denton. Ed Miliband said Burnham should be allowed to stand. So did Sadiq Khan. Those publicly trashing Burnham’s run were a selection of backbenchers. The figures on the NEC who voted to block Burnham are not household names. This is a decision that will be entirely put at the door of Keir Starmer. And if this decision results in the loss a safe Labour seat, in the party’s heartland of Greater Manchester, the Prime Minister will find that it is very, very lonely at the top.
On the argument that allowing Burnham to become an MP could have added to speculation about the Prime Minister's future, blocking him in this way has stirred up even more discontent within the Labour Party.
Allowing Burnham to stand would have been the wise choice for Starmer. There was no guarantee that the Manchester mayor would have won the by-election, it was a gamble for him just as it much as it would have been for the Burnham. But without Burnham, the seat is likely to go to the Greens or Reform and, as the tweet says, that will undermine Starmer even more.
This act by the Prime Minister is a sign of weakness, not strength.
Update: It has been pointed out that as the Manchester Mayor holds PCC functions then s/he cannot also be an MP. I have removed the section that referred to this.
Sunday, January 25, 2026
Labour Welsh First Minister snubbed by her own MPs
Nation Cymru reports that a Welsh Labour MP has argued against a major amendment to the Railways Bill which would devolve powers over the railways to Wales:
The amendment, tabled by the Liberal Democrats, would remove rail transport from the list of powers reserved to Westminster and require responsibility for infrastructure, investment and the long-term strategy of Welsh railways to be transferred to the Senedd within two years.
During the Committee debate, Labour MPs clarified that they do not support devolution of Wales’s railways through the Railways Bill.
Labour MP for Wrexham, Andrew Ranger, said he was “not convinced” by including the devolution of rail as part of the Bill, urging the Committee to “work with the situation as it stands”. However, he did claim the matter was “worthy of future consideration”.
The Labour Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Keir Mather, said that the amendment would introduce “boundaries” that risk fragmentation.
“By reopening the devolution settlement and mandating the transfer of responsibilities that are already being addressed through strengthened partnership working, it risks diverting attention from implementation and delivery. The Bill already enhances joint working.”
Mr Mather continued to oppose the devolution of rail to Wales, saying that reserved powers to Westminster play “an important part” in maintaining cross-border services.
However, the amendment would put Wales on a similar footing to Scotland, who manage cross-border services between Scotland and England without issues.
It comes after criticism that English rail projects were being designated as “England and Wales” projects, such as rail links between Liverpool and Hull, Oxford and Cambridge, and the HS2 project – despite none of these having any physical tracks running into Wales.
The classification of “England and Wales” means that Wales does not receive a Barnett consequential, which is money allocated to the devolved nations in response to spending on public services in England.
Welsh Liberal Democrat David Chadwick MP, who is the party’s Westminster spokesperson, believes the debate exposed a contradiction after Labour First Minister Eluned Morgan promised “a new era of devolution”, including rail should they win the Senedd election.
He said: “Labour Ministers have now put it on the record that they do not support devolving rail to Wales. That tells you everything you need to know about how seriously Labour takes devolution when it actually matters.
“The First Minister speaks about a ‘new era of devolution’, but she can’t even get her own MPs to back her. Everything outlined in her speech is empty rhetoric unless that changes.
“Scotland already has these powers. Wales does not. Until Labour matches words with action, Wales will continue to be short-changed by billions of pounds, depriving communities of much-needed transport investment.”
If Eluned Morgan cannot convince her own colleagues to support her, what chance does she have of persuading voters?
Saturday, January 24, 2026
King Charles' forgotten Hamlet
Coed Darcy is a new estate built on the old BP works in Llandarcy. St Modwen, the developer behind the project and the owner of the entire 1,000 acre Coed Darcy site, originally announced a 25-year vision for a £1.2bn, 4000-home 'urban village' with 10,000 residents and four schools, however the development stalled and so far only has a few hundred houses, a play area and an empty shop.
The estate was meant to be a model of urban renewal, but before the development started in earnest, the company tasked with transforming the area, decided to pay homage to the then Prince Charles' interest in 'classic' architecture. The BBC even did a news piece on the hamlet fronted by Griff Rhys Jones, which can be viewed here.
Wales-on-line tells us that not far from the current community, nestled amidst green fields, scrubland and trees is a quaint little hamlet of red and grey-roofed homes. There are streets, something that looks like it could be a little school or community hall and some ponds:
The white-fronted buildings look pretty with their different coloured brightly painted doors and neat windows.
Look for any length of time, and you won't see a single person. No lights will illuminate the windows on an evening, and there won't be a sound to be heard, other than the wind or the steady thrashing of rain we've become accustomed to of late.
In fact, if you are anywhere near you will have had to traipse over rough ground, as there are no proper roads leading to this ghost community.
The houses were built on the site of the former BP oil refinery in Llandarcy, Neath, in 2013, with traditional Welsh stone and using cutting-edge construction techniques.
They were designed as a showcase for an environmentally sustainable village made up of thousands of new homes, and even had the backing of Prince Charles.
But six years since they were built, these particular homes, distant from other development on the massive old industrial site, remain empty with no infrastructure connected to them.
In fact, more than a decade on from when the plans were first submitted in 2006, just 250 homes have been built in the new village named Coed Darcy.
The original vision was for the empty houses to be part of an environmentally-sustainable urban village of 4,000 homes, similar to Prince Charles' Poundbury village in Dorset.
The Prince even visited the site himself when they were completed in 2013.
He said he was "trying to break the commercial mould with the kind of challenges the world is now facing," by backing the project.
This article is from just over six years ago and the homes are still empty, which in a housing crisis is not a good look.
