Monday, March 09, 2026
A period of silence is called for
The paper says that the former prime minister told a private Jewish News event on Friday that Sir Keir should have let the Trump administration use British airbases to strike Iran:
He reportedly added: “If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security ... you had better show up”.
Sir Tony’s comments were made in private on the understanding that he would not be quoted, but they have since appeared in the Mail on Sunday and The Sunday Times.
Asked about the former Labour prime minister’s comments on Sky News on Sunday morning, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said: “I just disagree.”
She added: “We learn the lessons from some of the things that went wrong in Iraq, and I think that is exactly what Keir Starmer has done.”
The intervention came as Mr Trump again criticised Sir Keir over the UK’s approach to the Middle East conflict, saying that the US does not need anyone to “join wars after we’ve already won”.
Mr Trump was referring to reports that the UK is preparing an aircraft carrier for deployment to the Middle East.
The US president posted on his Truth Social platform: “The United Kingdom, our once great Ally, maybe the greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East.
“That’s OK, prime minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won!”
Sir Keir has defended his decision not to allow US forces to use British bases to support initial strikes on Iran, saying he needed to be satisfied that any military action was legal and well planned.
However Sir Tony told the Jewish News event: “I am not saying anything that I haven’t already said to the government ... I think we should have backed America from the very beginning.
“We have got to be very clear about this as a country. We’re depending on the American alliance for our country. They are not just an ally, they are an indispensable ally, right?”
He continued: “The American relationship matters. It matters particularly today. It’s not a question of whether it’s this president or that president. If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security...you had better show up.”
I am not sure that Blair has the measure of public opinion here. Having once taken the UK into an illegal war, he seems keen for us to do it again. Thank goodness that the present government are learning from his mistakes.
Sunday, March 08, 2026
Major Cardiff tourist attraction to be dismantled
I first blogged on this phenomenon on 20 August 2009 just before I went on holiday. Over the next eight days my blog received 5,422 hits, most of them looking for that post. I revisited the issue a couple of times over the next two years and then moved on.
I was in Cardiff bay a few months ago and made a point of visiting the 'shrine', noting that not only is it still there but it has grown exponentially.
Now. the BBC report that the shrine is set to be taken down after nearly two decades:
The tribute was built by fans of the series to commemorate queer character Ianto Jones 17 years ago, near where the series was filmed in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff.
However, self-proclaimed shrine-keeper Carol-Anne Hillman said she was "devastated" to learn that the shrine would be taken down due to health and safety.
A spokesperson for Mermaid Quay confirmed it was exploring the possibility of a new plaque for Ianto once maintenance work had been completed.
Carol-Anne Hillman has been looking after the shrine since 2017 and is "devastated" that the tribute will be taken down.
She said: "It became part of my life in Cardiff.
"I've got a back bedroom that's got about 11 or 12 bags of decorations now that I can't use.
"I've spent hundreds buying all these decorations.
"There's loads of people now that won't get even the first look at the shrine."
More than 860 miles (1,384 km) from the shrine in Cardiff Bay, Claudia from Germany was sad to learn that the attraction would be taken down.
"I love Doctor Who, but Torchwood was something else. It was quirky, it was campy, it was just a lot of fun," she said.
"[But] let's face it, the area is dodgy.
"The metal is rusted, the wood is decaying, it's in desperate need of some refurbishing and renovation."
Having last visited the shrine in 2018, Claudia plans to spend her 60th birthday in the city this year but will not get the chance to see the shrine again before it is taken down.
It isn't just the fans who will lose out by this decision of course. The 'shrine' attracts a lot of people to Cardiff Bay, many of whom will be disappointed.
Labels: lochist
Saturday, March 07, 2026
Rock of the night
The castle was formerly owned by opera singer Adelina Patti, but is now a wedding venue. Its landscaped grounds are a country park, managed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.
According to wikipedia, the main building was built between 1841 and 1843 by Captain Rhys Davies Powell, to designs by Thomas Henry Wyatt. It was bought by Morgan Morgan of Abercrave for £6,000 in 1876:
Captain Morgan and his family, plus his son also called Morgan Morgan and his family, lived jointly in the castle for several years. The family cleared a large plantation of 80-year-old fir trees which stood between the castle and the quarries above, which were said to be home to a local population of red squirrels.
Adelina Patti purchased the castle and surrounding park land for £3500 in 1878 to develop it as her own private estate. She spent the rest of her life at Craig-y-nos, leaving it only to sing in the premier opera houses of Europe and to tour the United States:
After her second marriage, to French tenor Ernesto Nicolini, she embarked on a major building programme at the castle, adding the North and South wings, the clock tower, conservatory, winter garden and theatre. After making her last public appearance in October 1914, when she sang for the Red Cross and filled the Albert Hall, she spent the rest of her life at Craig-y-nos with her third husband. The castle is a Grade II* listed building.
The Adelina Patti Theatre is a Grade I listed opera house. Built to be Patti's own private auditorium, it was designed by Swansea architects Bucknall and Jennings, with input from Sir Henry Irving. Briefed by Patti to be her miniature version of La Scala, Milan, it incorporates features from Wagner's Bayreuth Festspielhaus opera house in Bayreuth, and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.
Able to seat 150 people, the back of the theatre houses a gallery where the domestic staff would sit, enabling them to enjoy the performances. The orchestra pit is separated from the seating area by a balustrade, and holds up to 24 musicians.
Invitations for the July 12, 1891, opening event went to two types of guest: those invited to stay at the castle, and those invited just for the performance. House guests included: the Spanish Ambassador; Baron and Baroness Julius De Reuter, founder of the Reuters news agency; and Lord and Lady Swansea. Journalists from international newspapers including The Daily Telegraph, Le Figaro and the Boston Herald were also invited as house guests to report on the opening.
Final rehearsals occurred in the afternoon with the Swansea Opera Company, before a specially chartered train arrived at Penwyllt with the performance guests. Due to start at 20:00, the performance eventually started at 20:30 after a light tea. Sir Henry Irving was to have given the opening address, but as he was unable to attend, leading actor William Terris deputised. Patti's performance included the prelude to act one of La traviata, and in the second half the Garden Scene from Faust. There then followed a buffet supper served in the conservatory, with a total of 450 bottles of champagne consumed at the party.
Today the theatre remains a time capsule, and the stage is probably the only surviving example of original 19th century backstage equipment. The opera house is licensed for weddings.
Naturally, the castle is said to be haunted and occasionally hosts ghost tours.
Today the theatre remains a time capsule, and the stage is probably the only surviving example of original 19th century backstage equipment. The opera house is licensed for weddings.
Naturally, the castle is said to be haunted and occasionally hosts ghost tours.
Labels: lochist
Friday, March 06, 2026
Renewables must form basis of UK energy security
The paper quotes research published on Thursday, which shows that the last fossil fuel energy crisis, caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, cost the EU and the UK $1.8tn between 2022 and 2025, driving up bills and fuelling a devastating cost of living crisis.
Now, the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which started at the weekend, have resulted in fossil fuel prices surging again, with experts saying that the crisis underscores the need for the UK to end its dependance on such an unstable energy source:
Bob Ward, from the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, warned the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and subsequent surge in oil and gas prices “could translate into significantly higher energy bills for British households and consumers”.
“The UK is vulnerable to the volatility of international fossil fuel markets, and the only way to protect ourselves from these price increases is by speeding up the transition to domestic supplies of clean energy, namely renewables and nuclear power.”
The UN’s climate chief, Simon Stiell, said the latest upheaval in the Middle East “shows yet again that fossil fuel dependence leaves economies, businesses, markets and people at the mercy of each new conflict or trade policy lurch.”.
He added: “There is a clear solution to this fossil fuel cost chaos – renewables are now cheaper, safer and faster-to-market, making them the obvious pathway to energy security and sovereignty.”
Research published on Thursday by the Transition Security Project showed that the 2022 energy shock had cost the UK and the EU $1.8tn and left governments increasingly dependent on imports of liquid natural gas from the US, giving Donald Trump a stranglehold over EU and UK energy supplies.
The study found the rising costs came through higher household and business energy bills and from the cost of government policies such as price caps, rebates and tax cuts, which aimed to softened the direct impact on consumers of the fossil fuel crisis.
Kevin Cashman, author of the report, said the 2022 energy crisis “presented a fork in the road for Europe – double down on volatile fossil fuel markets, or pivot to homegrown clean energy and greater security”.
“The failure to do the latter has left people on ordinary incomes paying the price for an irresponsible and shortsighted energy policy,” he said.
This isn't just about the cost of energy and its impact on living standards. Energy security means that we have to generate our own power and reduce our dependence on others. It is about the security of the nation.
Thursday, March 05, 2026
Trump misreading history again
That comment demonstrates that once again Trump has shown that he does not understand history nor the nature of the special relationship between the UK and the USA.
The President has spent the last twelve months trashing his country's allies, abusing them for their over-reliance on the United States, imposing tariffs and trying to bully them into giving him what he wants.
In the last few months Trump has:
🔴 Threatened to seize Greenland — Danish sovereign territory
🔴 Threatened Canada with annexation
🔴 Undermined NATO's Article 5 mutual defence commitment
🔴 Backed Israel through ICC arrest warrants and genocide investigations
🔴 Bombed Iran without international mandate
🔴 Now following Spain's refusal to allow him to use their bases. he threatened to fly military aircraft into their territory, a NATO ally, without permission
Why should he be surprised then, when those same allies are reluctant to fall into line behind a campaign of agression against a country that offers no direct threat to them or the USA, has no clear objectives or end game and appears to be largely motivated by a desire to distract attention from the Epstein files?
And as for his view on Winston Churchill, Trump has got that wrong as well. Churchill pursued the 'special relationship' because it was in the UK's best interests to do so. He always put the UK's interests first, and whether you agree with him or not, that is what Starmer is doing as well.
Starmer is quite right to avoid dragging the UK into this conflict and he should continue to hold that position. After all there is a good chance that Churchill would have done the same.
Wednesday, March 04, 2026
Has the Home Secretary got it wrong on immigration?
Ms Mahmood argues that Denmark’s Social Democrats curbed inflows to protect the welfare state and won at the ballot box. A general election in Denmark later this month will test whether that policy remains popular. Her recent visit to Copenhagen kept the spotlight on asylum, the most politically charged part of the UK system. Yet asylum flows are a small fraction of overall migration and largely disconnected from the labour shortages that undergird Britain’s economic debate. Public concern about migration is real – shaped by pressures on housing, services and wages. But pollsters say that this is disproportionately driven by Reform UK supporters, who worry substantially more about immigration than voters backing far-right parties in Europe. That suggests that the politics of migration is more complex than headlines imply.
The home secretary may propose cutting migration to show that she is listening. But in ageing countries where migrant workers are concentrated in key sectors such as health and construction, the fallout is very real. In Britain, visas for overseas nurses have fallen by 93%, from 26,100 in 2022 to 1,777 in 2025. Care worker visas are down 97% over the same period. Social care providers are struggling to recruit; construction firms warn of delays; universities compete globally for talent. Clearly, imposing sudden restrictions would have consequences beyond the raw numbers.
The tension between tighter controls and reliance on migrant labour is evident across Europe. Far‑right Sweden Democrats support a government that raised repatriation grants from £800 to £30,000 per adult, only for local authorities to protest over fears that labour shortages would hit essential services. Migration policy ought to align political rhetoric with economic reality and workforce planning. Shouting about cultural threats may win votes, but it does not staff surgical wards, harvest crops or build homes.
Demographic arithmetic eventually trumps nationalist rhetoric. Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, cannot reverse a collapsing birthrate or a greying workforce, so her government last year issued record numbers of work visas to non-EU nationals. Britain faces similar constraints. Although the working-age population is not shrinking outright, the ratio of workers to dependents is tightening as society ages. Labour supply is a long-term workforce issue, not short-term politics – especially when anti‑migrant rhetoric fuels tensions.
Ministers may say they are borrowing from Denmark rather than bowing to Reform UK. Yet Denmark, too, relies on migrant labour: foreign workers there have accounted for more than a third of employment growth in recent years. Key public services depend on migrant staff. Needlessly tightening rules could damage community cohesion. Ministers would be wrong to extend the path to settlement to 10 years because this entrenches insecurity that weakens workers’ ability to assert rights and put down roots. A serious government would level with voters about the country’s needs, invest in training at home and design migration rules that reflect both democratic consent and economic requirement. Without that, sectoral shortages, not ministers, will drive policy.
Embracing popularism in this way has economic disaster all over it. We are dependent on migrant labour to deliver key public services. The impact of Brexit has been bad enough, this is just going to add to the country's economic pain.
Tuesday, March 03, 2026
Welsh voluntary sector faces perfect storm
They says that the latest Baromedr Cymru findings from the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) paint what the organisation describes as a stark picture of the challenges facing the sector:
The survey, carried out in November 2025 and February 2026, gathered responses from more than 200 voluntary organisations across Wales. Generating income remains the single biggest concern, cited by 81% of respondents in the most recent wave and 90% in the previous survey.
Two-thirds of organisations say their financial position has worsened due to rising costs, while almost half report dipping into reserves simply to maintain day-to-day operations. Although most organisations still hold some reserves, 45% are currently using them, and more than one in five have three months’ cover or less remaining.
Dr Lindsay Cordery-Bruce, Chief Executive of WCVA, said the sector was facing “a perfect storm”.
“These findings show a sector under intense strain,” she said.
“Rising demand, rising costs and insufficient funding uplifts are combining to create a perfect storm. We continue to hear how organisations are doing everything they can to support people and communities, but many are now operating without the safety nets they once relied upon.”
Demand for services continues to grow. In the latest survey, 63% of organisations reported increased demand in the previous three months, and more than two-thirds expect demand to rise further in the months ahead. More than a third say they are already unable to meet current levels of need.
Workforce pressures are also intensifying. Difficulties recruiting volunteers have increased sharply, with more than half of organisations now reporting problems.
Retention challenges are also rising, with many charities relying on existing volunteers to take on additional hours to compensate for staffing gaps or reduced budgets.
Funding structures are cited as a key part of the problem. While most organisations include full costs in funding applications, only 30% say funders consistently cover those costs when grants are awarded. Multi-year funding remains rare, with just 9% reporting that public funding is provided on a longer-term basis most or all of the time.
As the chair of a charity, these problems are all too familiar to me. They have been made worse by government policies on the minimum wage and employer's national insurance. Declining high streets have also hit income, with many charity shops no longer washing their face. This is a growing crisis.
Monday, March 02, 2026
Bad loser Farage plays the Trump race card
Farage wrote on Twitter after the count that “This election was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating.”
Farage later issued a statement saying he’d reported the matter to the Electoral Commission and the police: “What was witnessed yesterday is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas,” he said.
Farage’s remarks appear to follow the same playbook deployed by his friend, US President Donald Trump, who in the wake of his loss in the 2020 presidential election, accused his opponents of cheating and rigging the vote.
The Reform leader was later quoted in the right-wing tabloid press claiming that his candidate was robbed of victory by foreign-born voters.
He is reported as vowing that if he becomes Prime Minister he will rip up rules which allow non-British citizens (that is those born in Commonwealth countries but resident here) to vote in UK elections, calling the Gorton and Denton result ‘the most glaring example yet of what happens if we’re not careful about the impacts of mass immigration and about the legitimacy of those who can vote in our elections’.
What is unprecedented is a UK party leader taking his toys home and going into a massive sulk following a by-election loss. The reaction underlines how much Farage is beholden to Donald Trump for his playbook, the extent of his barely concealed racist agenda and shows that at heart he is an autocrat not a democrat, something that makes him dangerous and unfit for power.
Sunday, March 01, 2026
Let Starmer be.....
The paper says that the scale of defeat in an area that had returned Labour MPs for nearly a century, and where Starmer’s party still believed it could win even on polling day, plunged his ministers and MPs into renewed despair just weeks after he saw off a challenge to his position:
While only a handful of backbenchers called openly for Starmer to depart after the result, even loyal ministers said the surge in the Greens’ fortunes under the leadership of Zack Polanski meant the prime minister had to address an exodus of Labour voters from its left flank.
In a pointed comment, Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister and a key figure on Labour’s left, called the result “a wake-up call”.
But Starmer appeared minded to ignore the pressure, using a TV clip and letter to his MPs to attack the Greens as an “extreme” leftwing equivalent of Reform UK, saying they could not replicate the success in a general election.
Without a significant turnaround in his fortunes, Starmer could face a leadership challenge after elections in May to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and English councils, with Labour currently expected to fare badly in all of them.
One new poll on Friday suggested that in Scotland, Labour could be pushed into fourth place for the first time, behind not just the SNP and Reform, but also the Scottish Greens.
“I think it hastens everything,” one MP on the soft left of the party said of the Gorton and Denton result. “I thought we could maybe keep going for another year after May but definitely not now. I don’t think anything can save him.”
Ministers usually loyal to the prime minister were similarly downbeat. “The result is cataclysmically bad for us. The worst possible,” one said. “It will obviously intensify calls for Keir to make moves to the progressive wing, but the calls will be to do it now – not in a few months or even a few weeks.”
The sense of humiliation for Starmer is heightened by the fact that Downing Street blocked Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, from standing in the byelection, with many in the party believing his local popularity would have saved the seat.
The two men met in Manchester this week for one-on-one talks, which were said to have been initially awkward but ultimately constructive as they cleared the air.
Burnham is understood not to have ruled out having another go at returning to parliament. “With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never,” one ally said.
The paper adds that one point of contention for ministers is likely to be the government’s move to make it harder for migrants to achieve settled status in the UK, forcing them to wait for ten years rather than the current five. “The antidote to division and hostility is unity,” said one MP. “But you’ve got to mean it. You can’t keep playing dog-whistle politics on migration and wondering why you’re losing votes among ethnic minority voters.”
In the West Wing the antidote was 'Let Bartlett be Bartlett', that doesn't appear to be an option for Starmer, who needs to have a complete rethink about his own political direction and that of his government.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
On the trail of Richard Burton
They say that in 2025, to mark the centenary of the great man’s birth, the county of Neath Port Talbot curated two walking trails showcasing his old haunts, and two Blue Plaques were unveiled along the routes, one at Richard Burton’s birthplace and the other at the former home of his mentor and adoptive father, Philip Burton.
The two walking trails bring together a number of sites associated with Richard’s formative years, namely 'The Birthplace Trail', based in Pontrhydyfen, where Richard was born, and 'The Childhood Trail', in the town of Port Talbot, where Richard grew up:
From here, visitors follow the main road along to the Miners Arms pub (now the Pontrhydyfen RFC Clubhouse), where Burton’s parents met and married, before looping back along Penhydd Street, where many of Richard’s family lived. The actor would make frequent trips to visit his family here throughout his career, even bringing along his wife Elizabeth Taylor on several occasions (the actress reportedly dubbed the village, 'Pontrhyheaven'). The route also takes in Bethel Chapel, now home to a beautiful café, where 800 people gathered to mourn after the actor’s sudden death at the age of 58.
Like 'The Birthplace Trail', 'The Childhood Trail', which takes fans around Richard-associated sites in the town of Port Talbot, doesn’t have a specific order, but a nice starting point is the Taibach Community Education Centre on Margam Road. This former youth club is where Richard starred in some of his earliest productions, honing his craft before his big move to theatres in London’s West End.
Other stops on this route include Richard’s sister’s home on Caradog Street, where the young actor lived during his school years (Richard’s mother died when he was just two years old), and Taibach Library, where a young Richard developed his ferocious appetite for reading and poetry. A nice spot to end the walk is at the peaceful Talbot Memorial Park, where a flowerbed-flanked monument to Burton features a poem penned by the actor about walking in the hills surrounding the town.
Labels: lochist
