Saturday, August 02, 2025
The wonderboys of Alice Street
As the BBC reports, over a 13-year period in the middle of the 20th Century, Alice Street in the Cwmbwrla district of Swansea produced five Welsh international footballers, including the Charles brothers, John and Mel. The mural is a tribute to these men:
It is one of the few examples in world football of such a small area rearing so many internationals. Over a century and a half of international football, Newcastle has produced 15 players, Bristol and Stoke 12 each, Southampton nine, but this one road in Swansea gave us five on their own.
A film has been made about these men called Wonderland, which can be viewed here:
"As Professor Martin Johnes says in the film, it was the poverty and work ethic of an industrial area, the fact that the whole community had to rely on and support each other to get by, the move to half-day working on a Saturday, and then chuck in some truly dedicated teachers and coaches who showed complete faith in these lads."
The story began with full-back Jackie Roberts and winger Ernie Jones.
Roberts lived at 9 Alice Street, while Jones was at number 10.
Roberts earned one cap for Wales, and played for the likes of Bolton Wanderers and Swansea - who were then Town, rather than City.
Jones earned four caps for his country, and played for Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Swansea, among others.
Ms Abu-Shahba said: "Jackie and Ernie didn't reach quite the same heights as some of the Alice Street gang, but they were trailblazers.
"Not only were they an inspiration to John and Mel Charles, and Mel Nurse, they remained firmly rooted in the Cwmbwrla area all their lives, and offered real practical support.
The Charles brothers from 6 Alice Street: Mel (left) and John both played for Wales at the 1958 World Cup
"As the saying goes, 'if you can't see it, you can't be it'," she added.
Mr Brayley cautioned against reading too much into Jackie and Ernie's seemingly more modest records.
"They may not look impressive on paper, but you have to remember that their careers were blown apart by World War Two, both served in the Army during what should have been their best years in the game.
"Jackie was injured in Italy, so when he finally earnt his only cap, he was actually blind in one eye."
The younger three of the Alice Street gang perhaps require less introduction.
Mel Nurse at the front in a World Cup qualifier against Spain in Madrid in 1961
Mel Nurse at the front in a World Cup qualifier against Spain in Madrid in 1961
The Charles brothers, John and Mel, who lived at 6 Alice Street, both played in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, which was then the only time Wales had qualified for a major tournament.
John earned 38 caps, scoring 15 goals, and played for the likes of Juventus, Leeds United and Roma. Mel earned 31 caps, scored six goals, and played for Arsenal, Swansea and Cardiff City.
John scored a vital goal against Hungary in the World Cup to help his team out of their group, but he was kicked about so badly in that game that he missed the quarter-final against Brazil.
Mel played centre-half in the match, and although a 17-year-old Pele scored the eventual winner, he described him as the best defender at the competition.
Neither brother was ever booked or sent off throughout their careers.
Mr Brayley said: "What can you say about John? He was the best player Swansea Town never had.
"They had him there as a schoolboy, but they didn't want to take a risk on youngsters, so Leeds nipped in and stole him from under Swansea's nose."
He said initially John was reluctant to leave Alice Street.
"I've read that Mrs Charles poured cold water on the move at first, saying 'he can't go to Leeds, he hasn't got a passport'," he added.
"But boy, did he flourish once he left - 370 career goals at a ratio of better than one in two matches, and was voted Juventus's best ever foreigner by their notoriously hard-to-please fans."
Mr Brayley believes if it had not been for John, Mel would have gone down in history as Wales' greatest player of the era.
Ernie Jones on the left of this family photo, with Mark Baker, who also played for Swansea, on the right
He said: "People forget that after John, Mel was the most expensive transfer at the time he moved to Arsenal.
"He had it all - pace, power, vision, finishing, but as anyone with a big brother will tell you, it's a tough act to live up to."
The final member of the Alice Street quintet is Mel Nurse, known affectionately around the city as Mr Swansea.
He won 12 caps for his country, and played for the likes of Swansea and Middlesbrough.
Mr Brayley said he was equally as famous for what he did after football.
"Don't get me wrong, Mel Nurse was an outstanding player, and was a little bit unlucky to be just a tiny bit young to have gone to the World Cup," he added.
"But the reason he is so loved here is because he not only once, but twice stepped up to save the Swans when they were on the brink of bankruptcy.
"In 2001, he re-mortgaged all his businesses to underwrite the club's debts, and look where that led to a decade later."
Friday, August 01, 2025
'Manbaby' Farage
The paper says that a heated confrontation took place in London between US Representative Jamie Raskin and Reform Party leader Nigel Farage during a US congressional delegation visit:
The dispute began when Raskin, a Democrat, made remarks critical of the Trump administration's approach to the First Amendment.
Farage, a vocal supporter of Trump, reportedly became furious, telling Raskin they were "not here to talk about Donald Trump" and calling him "pig-headed."
Raskin responded to Farage by referencing the American Revolution, stating, "This is why we had a revolution against you guys."
Other Democratic representatives, including Jasmine Crockett and Eric Swalwell, later described Farage as a "manbaby" and "unhinged" following the exchange.
Given Trump's unpopularity in the UK, even amongst Reform voters, his defence of Trump should get much wider pubicity.
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Are Labour struggling for Senedd candidates?
The news website says that members of Welsh Labour have been sent a reminder urging them to apply to be Senedd candidates, leading to speculation that the party may be struggling to put together a credible team for next May’s election:
Members of the Labour Party have now received a letter which states:“Our candidates will play a vital role in helping Welsh Labour win.
“We are excited for a new generation of political talent combining with decades of political experience in the Senedd to be our new face of Welsh Labour. Could you be one of them?
“If you’re thinking of standing, now is the time to fill out your application and put your name forward. From there, a member of the Welsh Labour team will be in touch regarding next steps. Kind regards, Welsh Labour.”
A party member who received the letter by email told Nation.Cymru: “This makes you wonder whether they can get candidates. Who in their right mind wants to be 4,5 or 6 on the list ? Number 3 and in some constituencies 2 might struggle. And they will expect you to be canvassing every weekend until May.
“It’s all strange. 2026 was always going to be difficult for Labour. It will be the first election under a Westminster Labour government since 2007. And they didn’t do well in 2007.
“People forget that after 2019 there was talk of Labour doing very badly in 2021 Drakeford was seen as hopeless. Then he was saved by Covid and Johnson. Even then 2021 wasn’t brilliant.
“Labour has always relied on the core of traditional seats in post-industrial Wales. They might have now thrown that away, and for what? OK Starmer has made it worse. But anyone with a brain would not have got into this position.
They added: “Putting change in terms of the way the Senedd is elected in the manifesto for 2026 for implementation in 2030 might have been sensible.You have to wonder what Drakeford’s thought processes are. And the prospect of a coalition after next May’s election between Plaid and Labour makes it worse. We are heading for dangerous economic times and the only winners would be Reform and Corbyn.
“Voters are not that interested in devolution. Most haven’t got a clue about Eluned Morgan or who their MS is. And you give them the ideal electoral system if they are pissed off and want to punish the incumbent. It’s totally bonkers but typical of a Welsh Labour party that shuns debate and isolates those who think outside the box.”
None of this is surprising, while it is entirely possible that Labour are struggling to fill all the places given their present poll ratings and the vagaries of the new system. Things may well get interesting.
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Labour cuts plunging thousands into poverty
The paper says that the work and pensions select committee report welcomed ministers’ decision earlier this month to drop some of the most controversial aspects of its disability reforms in the face of a parliamentary revolt by over 100 Labour backbenchers, but it reiterated calls for the remaining planned cuts to universal credit to be delayed until their impact on poverty, health and jobs were fully understood:
Ministers been left badly bruised by the enforced gutting of its bill, which was intended to save £5bn a year by the end of the decade. Keir Starmer, the prime minister, admitted subsequently that No 10 “didn’t get the process right”.
Although all existing universal credit claimants and new claimants with severe or terminal conditions will now be protected, from next year other claimants with limited health capacity for work will see monthly awards cut from £423.27 to £217.26.
The committee chair, Labour’s Debbie Abrahams, said, “We welcome the concessions that the government made to the niversal Credit bill; but there are still issues with these welfare reforms not least with the cut in financial support that newly sick and disabled people will receive.”
Abrahams said that on the government’s own analysis approximately 50,000 people who claim universal credit from next April after developing a health condition or becoming disabled will be plunged into poverty by 2030 as a result of cuts.
“We recommend delaying the cuts to the universal credit health premium, especially given that other policies that such as additional NHS capacity, or employment support, or changes in the labour market to support people to stay in work, have yet to materialise,” she said.
“We agree in a reformed and sustainable welfare system, but we must ensure that the wellbeing of those who come into contact with it is protected. The lesson learned from last month should be that the impact of policy changes to health-related benefits must be assessed prior to policy changes being implemented to avoid potential risks to claimants,” added Abrahams
The report also urged ministers to drop plans – currently out for consultation – to prevent young people aged 18-22 from claiming incapacity benefit.
“We share the minister’s concern about young people being trapped in economic inactivity before their working lives have even begun, but we do not see why this means they should lose entitlement to universal credit health,” the report said.
The impact of these cuts are not going to go away and it is Labour who must take responsibility for those who are suffering as a result.
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Israel committing genocide in Gaza says human rights group
The Guardian reports that two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say their government is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
They add that in reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society:
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
The reports detailed crimes including the killing of tens of thousands of women, children and elderly people, mass forced displacement and starvation, and the destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure that have deprived Palestinians of healthcare, education and other basic rights.
“What we see is a clear, intentional attack on civilians in order to destroy a group,” said Yuli Novak, the director of B’Tselem, calling for urgent action. “I think every human being has to ask himself: what do you do in the face of genocide?”
It is vital to recognise that a genocide is under way even without a ruling in the case before the international court of justice, she said. “Genocide is not just a legal crime. It’s a social and political phenomenon.”
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) focuses in its report on a detailed chronological account of the assault on Gaza’s health system, with many details documented directly by the group’s own team, which worked regularly in Gaza before 7 October 2023.
Relatives of Palestinians who lost their lives during Israeli attacks mourn during a funeral ceremony at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images The destruction of the healthcare system alone makes the war genocidal under article 2c of the genocide convention, which prohibits deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to destroy a group “in whole or part”, said its director, Guy Shalev.
“You don’t have to have all five articles of the genocide convention to be fulfilled in order for something to be genocide,” he said, although the report also details other genocidal aspects of Israel’s war.
Both B’Tselem and PHR said Israel’s western allies were enabling the genocidal campaign, and shared responsibility for suffering in Gaza. “It couldn’t happen without the support of the western world,” Novak said. “Any leader that is not doing whatever they can to stop it is part of this horror.”
The US and European countries have a legal responsibility to take stronger action than they have done so far, Shalev said. “Every tool in the toolbox should be used. This is not what we think, this is what the genocide convention calls for.”
Israel denies is it carrying out a genocide, and says the war in Gaza is one of self-defence after cross-border attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023 killed 1,200 people, the majority civilians. More than 250 others were kidnapped and taken to Gaza, where 50 remain held hostage, with 20 of them believed to still be alive.
A key element to the crime of genocide, as defined by the international convention, is showing intent by a state to destroy a target group in whole or part.
Genocidal statements from politicians and military leaders, and a chronology of well-documented impacts on civilians after nearly two years of war are proof of that intent, even without a paper trail of orders from the top, both PHR and B’Tselem say.
The UK has sat on the fence too long. It is time that Keir Starmer and the UK government made a stand against these actions by the Israeli government.
Monday, July 28, 2025
Facing the music over Brexit
The paper says that some of Europe’s top music festivals will feature half as many British acts as they did before Brexit this summer, as red tape continues to hammer the music industry.
They add that Sir Elton John is among those who have warned that the UK’s departure from the EU has caused a “logistical nightmare” and placed “leg irons” on travelling musicians:
Some of Europe’s top music festivals will feature half as many British acts as they did before Brexit this summer, as red tape continues to hammer the music industry.
Sir Elton John is among those who have warned that the UK’s departure from the EU has caused a “logistical nightmare” and placed “leg irons” on travelling musicians.
Last year he warned the issue risks jeopardising artists’ futures and the UK’s status as a cultural force, saying he was “horrified”.
Now new figures show fans in France, Spain, Germany and Denmark will miss out as the number of British acts on the bill in some of Europe’s biggest festivals plummets.
The analysis found that, on average, the number of British musicians who have played, or are scheduled to play, European festivals this summer has fallen by a quarter, compared to 2017-2019.
The study looked at four major music festivals: Benicassim in Valencia, Lollapalooza in Berlin, Rock en Seine in Paris, and Roskilde Festival in Denmark.
Overall Benicassim saw the biggest drop, with 58 per cent fewer British acts taking to the stage in Spain, the analysis by Best for Britain found.
Industry leaders and musicians have highlighted that increased paperwork and costs are still damaging opportunities, particularly to take up last-minute slots.
At the same time, British venue operators have warned of their struggle to attract EU-based artists.
Earlier this year hundreds of music industry professionals signed an open letter to Sir Keir Starmer and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen calling for action.
Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, which campaigns for closer UK-EU ties, said: “From legends like the Beatles, Queen and David Bowie, via Britpop stars Oasis and Blur, to modern icons like Amy Winehouse, Adele and Raye, Britain is world famous for our incredible musical legacy – with live performances the lifeblood of the industry.
“Barriers for touring artists are bad news: for acts, audiences, and ultimately the UK’s vibrant £7.6bn music industry, meaning a further hit to our squeezed economy, not to mention the dimming effect on our soft power around the world. The government must urgently examine what scope there is to address these challenges – and work with our partners in Europe to implement solutions.”
This is another Brexit failure that the UK Labour government need to sort out.
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Recognising the state of Palestine will send powerful message to Israel
The paper says that the prime minister is facing a growing clamour to take action amid the international outcry over Israel’s actions, with charities saying that cases of severe malnutrition among children under five in Gaza City have tripled in the last two weeks.
They add that Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, and Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, are understood to be among ministers who believe the government should take the lead on Palestinian statehood alongside France:
The UK government’s policy is that it will formally acknowledge Palestine as part of a peace process, but only in conjunction with other western countries and “at the point of maximum impact”.
Cooper and Rayner are among more than half a dozen cabinet ministers pressing for urgent action. The Guardian revealed this week that Wes Streeting, the health secretary, Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, and Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary, have all pushed for recognition of Palestine at recent cabinet meetings.
Ian Murray, the Scotland secretary, and Jo Stevens, the Wales secretary, have also raised the issue in cabinet, according to a cabinet source. Murray and Stevens declined to comment.
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, is also said to have called for action, and Lammy is said by colleagues to be pushing Downing Street to take a stronger stance. A government source said it was increasingly “everybody v No 10”.
“Too many people in No 10 just see this as a ‘left’ issue and actually don’t get how widespread public anger is,” a Labour source said.
Rayner said last month that the west needed to avoid repeating past mistakes when it came to Gaza. Addressing a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, in which more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed by Serbian forces in 1995, she said: “The west took too long to act in the 1990s and we should have acted sooner. Now we must learn the lessons of history and the consequences of inaction.”
On Friday, 221 MPs from nine parties signed a letter to Lammy calling for British recognition of Palestine to be announced next week at a UN conference in New York.
“Whilst we appreciate the UK does not have it in its power to bring about a free and independent Palestine, UK recognition would have a significant impact due to our historic connections and our membership on the UN security council,” the MPs wrote.
“British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that mandate.”
The letter’s signatories included several Labour select committee chairs, including Emily Thornberry, of foreign affairs, Sarah Champion, of international development, and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, of defence.
Other signatories included the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, the Green party co-leaders, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, the SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, and the Conservative MPs Kit Malthouse and Edward Leigh.
The true number of backbench Labour MPs who support recognition is even higher. Several said they were in favour of the move but did not put their names to the letter. “We need to do more. Israel is committing terrible war crimes,” one Labour MP said. Nearly 60 Labour MPs signed a similar letter to Lammy earlier this month.
The pressure on Starmer to act comes amongst a worsening situation in Gaza. As the paper reports, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières said that cases of severe malnutrition among children under five at its Gaza City clinic had tripled in the last two weeks and the UN World Food Programme said nearly a third of people in Gaza were not eating for days, with the hunger crisis having reached “new and astonishing levels of desperation”.
The failure of the international community to act to stop the slaughter and starvation of innocent children and civilians in Gaza is a disgrace. Recognising the state of Palestine is one step, but arms supplies must also be stopped and action taken to by the UN to intervene if necessary.
Saturday, July 26, 2025
A strategic fortfication
As the Cadw site says, although what remains of the fortification is now hemmed in by the city centre, its original location was on a clifftop above where the River Tawe used to flow, controlling a harbour and important east–west route along southern Wales. The river has since been diverted and its former route is now a road leading to a shopping mall amongst other destinations.
Though there has been a castle there since at least the early 12th century, the remains that stand today date from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The most striking feature is the distinctive arcaded parapet on the south block, remarkably similar that of the bishops’ palaces at St Davids and Lamphey.
The castle itself has gone through many iterations. By 1650 it was described as "a decayed Buildinge". By the 1670s the square tower was being used as a bottle factory and, in 1700, a town hall was built in the castle courtyard. By the mid 1700s the Great Hall had become Swansea's workhouse.
The town hall was replaced by a post office in the 1800s and, by 1850, a military Drill Room had replaced the workhouse. The River Tawe, which had flowed near to the castle, was straightened and diverted during the 1840s. Part of the interior of the castle, in particular the large motte, was demolished 1909–1913 for the construction of a newspaper office.
In the very early 1930s, poet Dylan Thomas worked for the South Wales Daily Post at the castle site. The newspaper offices were removed in 1976 and the remains of the castle were later consolidated and opened up to view from the street.
Friday, July 25, 2025
A lack of transparency
The news site says that when the Senedd expands to 96 members next year, politicians will be banned from giving jobs to their own family members – which has been commonplace over the past 26 years. But a loophole will remain allowing politicians to employ each other’s family:
More than 15 of the current 60 Senedd members (25%) have employed family members, directly or indirectly, in the past and ten (16%) currently do so.
Now, the Senedd’s standards committee, which handles complaints against politicians, has suggested the names of family members be withheld from the public register of interests.
However, half of the politicians who sit on the committee that made the recommendation themselves have family members employed by colleagues at a cost to the public purse.
Labour committee chair Hannah Blythyn is married to Laura Murton who is employed by first minister Eluned Morgan – according to the current, more open register – and Peredur Owen Griffiths’ spouse Angela has a job with his Plaid Cymru colleague Sioned Williams.
All meetings as part of an inquiry into declarations of interests were held in private, with the public and press excluded, and many of the related documents were declared secret.
Ms Blythyn and Mr Owen Griffiths did not recuse themselves nor declare an interest as the committee finalised its recommendations, according to records of latest meetings.
Their family ties were not mentioned in a 9,000-word report on the behind-closed-doors inquiry but reference was added retrospectively after a journalist raised concerns.
The pair flagged their interests at one earlier meeting but the transcript and video showed this was not in the public declarations part at the start of nearly every committee meeting. Instead, the declaration was made in private then disclosed in brief minutes weeks later.
In the report, Ms Blythyn wrote: “The committee was mindful of the need to minimise the release of information about family members, simply for being related to an elected member.
“To that end, we agreed publishing the names of family members employed by other members on the register was an unnecessary risk to their safety.”
Details would be provided to officials but hidden from public view. The nature of the relationship would still be disclosed although the name would not.
I wonder sometimes why politicians make things harder for themselves by hiding these things when people are going to find out anyway. Transparency was meant to be the raison d'etre of devolution. It seems we are still struggling to achieve it.
Thursday, July 24, 2025
The real Reform priorities
The first indication of this trend was found in Scarborough where, as the BBC report, Reform UK Mayor Thomas Murray, will be given a £3,500 allowance, after the authority's annual budget was approved last week, a 600% increase:
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a group of charter trustees - councillors who represented the town's unparished areas on North Yorkshire Council - were previously responsible for maintaining civic traditions.
Maw said: "Under the former charter trustees, the mayor received £500 and the deputy mayor £100, which was considered sufficient for both their civic duties.
"I just respectfully ask the following: What is the justification for increasing the allowance to £3,500, please?"
Murray said the figure was based on how many engagements he might attend in a given year and how much each event had cost him.
When questioned about this increase, Reform leader, Nigel Farage said he had no idea, which is pretty much par for the course.
And then there is the 19-year-old leader of Warwickshire council, George Finch, who the Guardian says initiated a scheme to spend £150,000 on hiring political advisers at a county council despite pledging to cut waste and save money.
He put the plan forward after being narrowly elected as the leader of Warwickshire county council during a meeting on Tuesday, which was picketed by protesters:
The protest came after a row over an attempt by Finch, as interim leader, to have a Pride flag removed from council headquarters before the end of Pride month. The chief executive refused the request, telling him she was responsible for such decisions.
However, there was fresh controversy during a meeting of the council, one of several where Reform became the largest party in the recent local elections, as it narrowly pushed through plans to hire political advisers but lost a separate vote relating to the climate crisis.
Opposition councillors accused Reform of reneging on promises to voters over the political advisers, who would be publicly funded for it and the other two largest parties, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
“These proposals are all about spending some money so they can have a chum in their group and I think that is not particularly helpful given the financial state of this council,” said George Cowcher, councillor and deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats. He added that it was almost a quarter of the way through the financial year and there had yet to be any proposals from Reform about managing the authority’s budget.
Sam Jones, a Green party councillor, said: “Reform have had a sniff of power, they’re making it so clear that they never cared a jot for the will of their supporters. No to overpaid, unelected bureaucrats before the election, but yes to up to £150,000 of unfunded spending on political assistants now the campaigning is over.”
Perhaps the new council leader would be better off securing the future of vital services by getting a budget in place.
