At this stage it’s worth mentioning it’s not the first time this has happened to me. The last time was when Wales played the barbarians  in June 2011 so you would assume I had learnt my lesson.

This time however there were ramifications.

Let me explain.

I’m self employed so my mobile phone plays a big part in my day. Suffice to say not having my phone to hand was like having had my arms taken away.

There was nothing else for it. I had to get my phone fixed so off I trotted to my local gadget shop and after parting with a hundred pounds my phone screen was fixed and the lady in the shop was soon showing me what a great job she had done, by displaying pictures of my 8 month old son from my pictures folder.

What happened next will likely stay with me for the rest of my life and is a hard lesson learnt.

As the assistant scrolled through my pictures one particular picture which I had totally forgotten about pops up onto the screen. Without going into too much detail let’s just say it was compromising!

It was a picture of me, or rather a part of my anatomy.

I had taken the pic as a practical joke, to send to my wife in a text message, and totally forgotten about it.

To make matters worse lets just say I was ‘in my pomp’. At this stage it’s worth mentioning I’m 46 years of age and old enough to be the shop assistants father.

After the most awkward of moments I took my phone, thanked the by now blushing shop assistant for a great job done and beat a hasty and embarrassed retreat before I got arrested for indecent exposure.

Needless to say I probably won’t be using that shop again.

The Cardiff Citizen

As a result Sam warburton has turned into an internet superstar, trending globally on social network sites like Twitter and Facebook, and not for the first time either.

During the rugby world cup Sam was already made an internet hero after his red card tackle against France in the semi finals. Leading to a raft of statements about the Welsh Captain which included “Sam Warburton doesn’t need life insurance. Life needs Sam Warburton insurance.”

And it seems lightening is about to strike twice as Sam legally smashes the Racing Metro player onto his back.

Check it out..

The Warburton Smash

Good news, or so you would have thought.

But a local businessman believes the centre has turned the area surrounding St Davids Centre, in to something which resembles a town after a neutron bomb has gone off – devoid of life.

George Osztreicher, spokesman for the High Street and St Mary Street Traders’ Association is also a director of Cranes Music Shop in High Street.
Mr Osztreicher believes St Davids Centre has damaged the surrounding shopping areas by pulling cosumers into the centre.

“St David’s is a beautiful centre, don’t get me wrong, but it has killed the rest of the city. People are gravitating towards the centre and destroying the High Street, and we have the old parking problems because there is no parking provision at this end of town.”

“People buying something heavy such as a keyboard or an amplifier pull up for a few minutes and the traffic wardens pounce on them. We are being hounded out of business, resulting in a 40% drop in trade in just three years.”

Do you think your shopping ‘experience’ has been affected by the building (and recent expansion) of the St Davids shopping complex?

Please get in touch.

The Cardiff Citizen

In a period which stretches across only 12 months shoppers who use Albany Road and its adjoining side streets was subjected to a barrage of parking tickets. 10,442 of them to be precise, raising up to a staggering 1 and a quarter million pounds for the local council.
Local councillor for the Plasnewydd ward Rodney Berman also, coincidentally, happens to be leader of Cardiff city council. He said recently that the council was looking into options at freeing up short-stay parking spaces on Albany Road, perhaps by moving bus stops to free up space.

When asked to comment on the massive upturn in parking fines he put it down to ‘much improved enforcement’ in the area.

Carol Ivory runs Albany Pet Store on the junction of Diana Street and Albany Road. Ms Ivory says ‘the parking ‘taxes’ are really strangling what little trade that we can get. It has taken me 26 years to build up my customer base, and a year for the council to wreck it.”

Do you regularly shop in and around Albany Road? Have you been hit with a parking ‘tax’? If so we would love to hear from you.

The Cardiff Citizen

Crowds of marchers brought Cardiff city centre to a standstill for almost an hour, to hi-light the ‘Hardest Hit’ campaign.

On the Hardest Hit website they say “Disabled people, those with long-term conditions and their families are being hit hard by cuts to the benefits and services they need to live their lives. The Hardest Hit campaign, organised jointly by the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) and the UK Disabled People’s Council, brings together individuals and organisations to send a clear message to the Government: stop these cuts.”

Of course a great many disabled people are on benefits as a result of not being able to find work. Which is where Remploy comes in. Or so we thought.
The coalition government looks set to remove the £63 million a year funding given to the Remploy organisation. Which was set up in 1946, to serve the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act which came into being in 1944, in a bid to find work for injured servicemen and women returning from war.

Over the following decades it established a network of factories across the UK making a wide variety of products, and in the late 20th century it moved into service industries.

More recently Remploy has undergone a major modernisation, and is now also a provider of employment services for disabled people and others with barriers to employment.

In 2009/10 Remploy placed over 10,500 people into jobs across a range of sectors.

If the coalition government has its way however, that will all soon stop, as Chancellor George Osborne seeks to redeploy the funding which is central to the operation of Remploy.

In certain quarters people believe the closure of Remploy is already a done deal.

GMB national secretary Phil Davies said: “In the last 24 hours significant evidence has come to light that the Remploy pension trustees have already been in detailed discussion to wind up the Remploy pension scheme based on the closing down of the whole of Remploy.

“We now demand that the government comes clean and informs the disabled workers of its intention to wind Remploy up entirely by 2014.”

Is there a Welsh AM who would care to comment? Probably not.

The Cardiff Citizen

Can you imagine replacing Llanishen Reservoir with either a landfill site or a housing estate?

Reservoir owners Western Power Distribution have used the age old practice of multi-choice psychology in a bid to force their will on an otherwise unwilling populace.

There’s a struggle going on over land rights in cardiff currently.

In the red corner we have the massive power supplier WPD which owns Llanishen Resevoir.

WPD drained the reservoir in 2010 by removing a scour valve on the premise of inspecting a pipe.

Little did we know at this time the plans WPD had on the table for a reservoir which is an area of special scientific interest.

In the blue corner we have the residents of the area, Cardiff Council, The Resevoir Action Group, old uncle Tom Cobley and all.

With a united voice the city of Cardiff wants to see Llanishen resevoir restored to its previous best.

The landlord on the other hand, has offered two choices to the city.

Choice one is to turn the reservoir and orchards, which are home to a vast array of wildlife including kingfisher and otter, into a landfill site.

Thats right, Lamby Way comes to Llanishen.

Threatening the residents of an affluent North Cardiff suburb with the creation of a rubbish tip in their back garden, with everything that involves including an up-turn in another sort of wildlife (think seagulls and rats), is just about as distasteful a plan WPD could have brought to the table.

It also makes the second choice seem a lot more palatable.

Choice two is to sell the land for redelevopment into housing.

Not social housing which everyone should be able to afford, even though this is what the city requires more than anything else.

But more expensive homes, attracting a more affluent crowd and making it even harder for young indiginous families to settle in the areas they grew up in.

And the rouse seems to be working, with local resident Sarah Trafford, 36, who lives on the Rise backing onto the reservoir, saying “Landfill on the site would be unthinkeable.”

She said: “You would rather it would be houses than a landfill if it has to be one of them, but obviously we would prefer it was a reservoir.

“They have to make money somehow, but if they are talking about landfill, it is not nice for anyone. It has got to go somewhere, but you don’t want it on your doorstep, do you?”

Cardiff Council and the Residents Action Group are fighting Western Power Distributors and have recently won a stay of execution on legal grounds.

But the reason is so that people can carry on sailing on the reservoir as opposed to any common sense thoughts of protecting an endangered habitat.

Although to have the council batting for your team puts the residents of Llanishen on a strong footing.

If only the residents of Rumney and Llanrumney had the same ‘friends in high places’.

Perhaps they would be able to save their green spaces too.

The Cardiff Citizen

Councillor Gwenllian Lansdown resigns triggering council by-elections in Riverside

If you live in Riverside Cardiff, and you are one of those ‘armchair politicians’ who always thinks you can do better than those elected, now’s your chance to prove it should you be so inclined.

Gwenllian Lansdown who has served the ward of Riverside for 6 happy years, announced today that she would be resigning as a Cardiff councillor, to get married and settle in Powys.

Creating what will become the second by-election since the last main council elections in 2008.

Miss Lansdown told The Guardian

“I have enjoyed representing the people of Riverside and having the opportunity to meet so many people in the local community.

“My boyfriend and I recently got engaged and are getting married in the summer and moving three hours away from Cardiff which is too far to commute.

“Since there are two polls on the 3 March and 5 May, I felt the I would stand down now so the council can hold a byelection because the next council elections aren’t until 2012.

“It’s a very happy occasion for me and my fiancé, but it’s also a great sadness to leave Riverside and Cardiff.”

Cardiff Council said;

“Notice of the vacancy will be published today. That notice invites any two electors to request an election to fill the vacancy.

“The election will be held on a date to be fixed by the Returning Officer within 35 working days from the date of the receipt of the request.”

The Cardiff Citizen

HMP Cardiff

Cardiff Prison will be offered on a plate to Westminster as a prime piece of redevelopment worth millions as the sell off of Cardiff’s assets gets underway in earnest.

It would seem the writing is on the wall for Cardiff Prison. A landmark and an institution which has proudly welcomed visitors to the city with a stern message for every passer-by which reads “You Are Very Welcome to Cardiff But Don’t Break The Law.”

The current site on Knox Road has been used as a prison establishment since 1832. Its stark perimeter wall is one of Cardiff city centre’s most prominent landmarks.

It currently hosts around 800, all male prisoners.

For the prosecution, Councillor Neil McEvoy wants HMP Cardiff to be “moved along the M4”. But at the same time he admits there’s no space for a new prison within the capital’s boundaries.

Supporters say where ever the prison is situated will benefit from an influx of jobs.

Mr McEvoy is hoping that by taking what is no more than a sell-off and redevelopment plan, and selling it to the people of Cardiff as a flag waving opportunity for the City, his concept will hitch an easy ride through council and public scrutiny.

“I’m writing to the Home Secretary to fly the flag really, to point out that there is a prime site in the middle of the city which needs to be redeveloped,” he told the Echo.

But even he doubts the concept will come off the planning table.  As he told reporters “I don’t think we’ll get a positive response in the short-term, but in the medium-term I think there is a strong possibility.”

Adam Street Fire Station

Only recently local residents fought off a planning application on land currently occupied by the Central Fire Station on Adam Street. Literally across the road from HMP Cardiff.

One of the primary concerns for residents in the area was the fact the ‘Everest’ of flats the planning application referred to would have a catastrophic effect on the local community, and raise traffic to unacceptable levels everytime the 500 or so students the flats were to be built for, came into town.

So its hard to see how moving that same problem 100 metres north of the Adam Street fire station, will make any difference at all to the residents of Adamsdown.

Apart from the fact the influx of new residents probably wouldn’t be students.

The Cardiff Citizen

On the one hand we have Councillor Rodney Berman. An eloquent and educated man who has clearly taken great personal issue with remarks made during council business. Remarks which according to councillor Berman, went beyond the remit of what could be reasonably termed ‘robust’ council debate.

On the other hand we have Councillor Ralph Cook. Who by his own admission is proud to represent (in Trowbridge & St Mellons) a community inhabited by a broad and diverse demographic. A true cross section of society. Left wing and right.

And without wishing to dilute in anyway the offence Mr Berman has suffered as a result of his own ancestry, the unfortunate truth is, amongst the electorate on which both councillors so readily depend on to vote for them, this kind of distasteful analogy is, rightly or wrongly, used every day. It really is.

As well as a hundred other distasteful terms which only 25 years ago were beamed into our living rooms every single night of the week, Love Thy Neighbour and Alf Garnett being just two names which spring to mind having made their names on the back of what would be seen as outright racism in todays PC landscape.

Had councillor Ralph Cook been debating with any other councillor this situation may have been avoided entirely, and the tax payer may well be £20,000 better off today. Having said that I think its time for cllr. Cook to issue a full and unreserved apology, if only for hurting Mr Bermans feelings.

Councillor Berman, who has ambitions in the Welsh Assembly could do with thickening his skin a little as the higher up the political ladder he climbs, the more adept the word play and psychology used for finding cracks in the political facade becomes.

Will he complain to the ombudsman every time a political opponent says something which he finds insulting?

As it is I think its time the two councillors sat down (like adults) and had that cup of coffee at county hall and finally drew a line under this unfortunate situation.

Before the voter decides to do it for them.

The Cardiff Citizen

The Berman & Cook Show

If its not bad enough that two respected councillors slugged it out in public during a council debate, the ‘unarmed combat’ has continued in the press ever since. A bitter dispute with more than a hint of racism suggested by Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman.

History
The history of the fracas can be traced back to a council meeting which took place in 2009.

When commenting on Lib-Dem canvassers who were working in and around Cllr. Cooks home patch of  Trowbridge, he suggested they were ‘acting like nazi stormtroopers’. A comment which Cllr. Berman took exception to, on the grounds he is of jewish descent.

It became clear later on in the investigation this wasn’t the first time Cllr. Ralph Cook had directed such language at Cllr. Berman.

As a result, Mr Berman lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman for Wales, saying he found the remarks made at the council meeting ‘personally offensive’.

Following a three day hearing in 2010, which took place at the Mercure Hotel in Cardiff, Cllr. Cook was found guilty of breaching the councillors code of conduct. He was also ‘convicted’ of bringing the Office of Councillor into disrepute. A heinous crime for which he was suspended from office for a period of two months.

A sentence which ended only a couple of days ago.

Councillor Cook marked the passing of his suspension with an announcement in The Guardian stating he would not seek re-election as leader of the Labour group, and that he would be campaigning for the freedom of speech for welsh councillors. Obviously as a result of the comments leading to his suspension.

Mr Cook also complained of the great expense to the tax payer Mr Bermans complaint to the ombudsman had cost, (he said it was over £20,000). He also said this entire dispute, ranging right back to 2009, could have been resolved over a cup of coffee, costing the tax payer nothing.

But he accused Rodney Berman of not wanting to resolve issues face-to-face and at this stage its probably a good idea dualling is illegal or heaven only knows what might have happened.

And so it goes on..

The fact of the matter is two senior councillors have totally lost the plot, turning ‘robust council debate’ into a bad tasting affair which suggests an accusation of racism.

I’m not sure how things work at a local level but you can be sure if it were MP’s having this very public dispute the whips from their respective parties would probably step in and shut them up forceably, before they bring any more ridicule on themselves, their parties, and on the people who voted for them.

Cardiff Citizen

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