Passionate about Pembrokeshire

 Pembrokeshire is full of special places. The lie of the land, the western peninsula pushing into the Irish sea, the Cleddau waterway, and the Preseli hills offer many vistas that draw artists, writers and common folk more generally. But some places are very special. One is at Haroldston Chins above the high 300ft cliffs between Broadhaven and Druidston, near the centre of St Brides Bay. Here there is a long flat cliff walk with exceptional views of the ocean. To the north is St David’s Head and Ramsey Island. To the south is Skomer Island, though it looks to be an extension of the land.

 

'Where the sea touches the sky in a limitless horizon...'

Walking the coast path at this point feels like being on the deck of a liner with a limitless horizon, and where the sea touches the sky in a seamless continuity. Invariably, out in the Bay are oil tankers parked in line. Normally there are three or four, but I’ve counted as many as a dozen, waiting their turn for a berth in Milford Haven.

It is one of those places that, whatever the weather, feels intensely spiritual. And, in fact, it has taken on the character of a modern, secular 18^th or 19^th Century churchyard. It is full of benches bearing plaques commemorating the lives of people who frequented this place. One is in memory of Paul Blick who helped establish the Pembrokeshre coast path in the 1960s and who was appointed its first warden. The inscription is taken from Shakespeare’s sonnet, ‘Shall I compare three to a summer’s day’: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

A stretch of the cliff path has been tarmacked to provide wheelchair access. At intervals are square benches hewn from tree trunks, all bearing plaques. One is for Sheila Ann Mathias 30-9-42 to 12-6-02: “In loving memory of a devoted wife, mother and granny who liked to walk this path. Hope you enjoy the view as much as she did.” Another is for Edward Hier 1913-2007 and Margaret Hier 1921-2012, both of whom were “Passionate about Pembrokeshire”.

A little further on towards Broadhaven is a standing stone with a plaque declaring: ‘In memory of Glyn Charles Olympic Yachtsman. Lost at sea 4.9.1965 – 27.12.1998. He loved Pembrokeshire.’ Charles was drowned, aged 33, after being swept overboard from the yacht The Sword of Orion he was crewing during the 630 mile Sydney to Hobart Race, one of yachting’s most challenging contests. Ironically Glyn didn’t like ocean racing because the open sea made him seasick. Instead he was ranked fourth in the world for sailing the Star Class, a 22.5ft, two-man keelboat.

Most of these commemorations are for people who lived for a reasonable time. They had a good innings, you might say. But there is one for a young man who did not reach twenty, Roger Dyer 3 June 1981 – 27 February 2000. The inscription bears a quotation from Nelson Mandela: “It is not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream.”

Though we live in a largely secular age, we still need our own versions of spiritual commemoration.

The debate Carwyn could do without

 In the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum First Minister Carwyn Jones famously said that if the Scots were determined to get rid of Trident nuclear missiles from Holy Loch he’d be glad to welcome them to Milford Haven.

Of course, this was never a realistic option. Milford Haven has two of the largest LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminals in Europe and indeed the world, employing together with nearby oil refineries roughly 1,200 people. Milford Haven also houses a major port and tank farm which brings in about 25 per cent of the UK’s motor fuel. Establishing a nuclear military base there, next to one of the UK’s major sources of fuel and natural gas, would be impossible from a security point of view.

 

Carwyn Jones' welcome for Trident missiles in Milford Haven was never a realistic option

In 1963 the original report on the Polaris nuclear weapons system dismissed Milford Haven’s suitability for housing the UK’s nuclear deterrent on the basis of one oil refinery existing there. That was well before before the development of the LNG terminals, so the safety risk must now be even higher.

It’s reasonable to ask, therefore, why the First Minister said he’d welcome the transfer of Britain’s nuclear submarine fleet to Pembrokeshire. At the time he said they would bring thousands of high quality, well paid jobs. In reality he was directing a cheap shot at the SNP, one he must now be regretting, especially in the wake of last week’s Shadow Cabinet reshuffle.

How are the two things connected? At one level Jeremy Corbyn’s changes to his team at the New Year resulted in a complete mess. Heralded as a revenge reshuffle, against those who opposed him on the Syria bombing vote before Christmas, the changes he made were minimal, despite the resignations they provoked. As one seasoned observer said, it was a futile row about “people doing imaginary jobs in a government that will never exist.”

In one respect, however, and as has been much commented upon, Corbyn got his way. The removal of Maria Eagle as defence spokesman and her replacement by Corbyn’s fellow Islington MP Emily Thornberry, opened the way for Labour to change its policy on nuclear weapons. For Thornberry, unlike Eagle, is against the renewal of Trident nuclear submarines. Thornberry now joins fellow unilateralist Ken Livingston as co-chair of Labour’s defence review, signalling a change to Labour’s pro-nuclear policy.

All this is bad news for Carwyn Jones as he heads towards the Assembly elections in May. For the backcloth will be further Labour dissension and infighting at Westminster, with a Parliamentary vote on the renewal of Trident promising a deadly split in the party. Carwyn Jones who is pro-nuclear weapons will be on one side of the divide and Jeremy Corbyn on the other, with the Welsh Labour Party being driven further adrift from the party leadership at Westminster.

All this raises fundamental questions for the future of Labour in Wales. Some in its ranks, like Carwyn Jones himself, are anxious to emphasise Welsh Labour’s independence. They are following calls in Scotland for Labour to become a federal party with separate identities in each of the nations of the UK. However, the reality is that Welsh Labour still remains dependent on the UK Party for funding. This is a debate Carwyn Jones would prefer not to have until after the Assembly election on 5 May.

Where the council should wield its axe

 On Monday Pembrokeshire’s councillors came face to face with the reality of George Osborne’s ideologically motivated austerity programme. They were considering a crucial phase in the council’s budget setting process for 2016-17, requiring them to make savings of £16.7 million. The question is where to make the cuts.

This is against a background of major cuts over for the past three years and more to come for another three years. As Jon Haswell, Pembrokeshire’s Chief Finance Officer, put it in his report on Monday, the 2016-17 budget comes “against the backdrop of the three most difficult financial settlements since the Council’s inception in 1996”. 


These are words we need to remember when we hear Pembrokeshire’s AM Paul Davies bemoan the rundown of essential public services like those at Withybush hospital. At root the responsibility lies with his own party and the actions of his own Chancellor of the Exchequer. But it’s amazing what a smooth talking politicians like Paul Davies can get away with.

It's amazing what smooth talking politicians like Paul Davies get way with

In his report Jon Haswell warns that the continuing cuts to the budget will inevitably lead to reductions in levels of service provision. Indeed, they threaten “the cessation of services” with the challenge being “to protect those services which impact on the most vulnerable.”

Monday’s meeting was just one stage in the process the council has been going through in setting its budget. There will be further consultations in the coming weeks with another meeting of the full council to consider a revised budget on 22 February. The final budget will be agreed in March, just ahead of the financial year. So there is still time to influence the decisions, but probably only at the margins.

As ever, the devil is in the detail of where the cuts are being made. To my mind the main question is whether the council is complying with its own edict to protect the most vulnerable. The first decision being recommended is that council tax should rise by 5 per cent, the maximum the council can undertake without it being capped by the Welsh Government. This will raise £2.5 million and I think it is justified given that Pembrokeshire has consistently enjoyed one of the lowest council tax levels in Wales for many years. But that still leaves a funding gap of £13.7 million on its overall budget requirement of £202.2 million.

So where is Jon Haswell proposing to find the savings? Looking down his list most of the headings are taking a relatively modest hit. So, for instance highways are losing £637,000, planning £519,000, corporate services £557.000, and housing £193,000. On the other hand, the most vulnerable people are taking the biggest hits: adult social care £3.9 million, and children’s social care £1m.

I think this is unacceptable and inconsistent with the council’s own values. Jon Haswell reports that the council currently has reserves of £45.1 million. These are due to be depleted by £15 million during 2015-16 to contribute to the 21^st Century Schools investment. There will be other calls on the reserves in future years. Jon Haswell’s account of them is pretty difficult to follow. However, there is a strong case to dip into the reserves by say £3 million to offset the cuts being proposed to its services for vulnerable adults and children during 2015-16.

Hywel Dda Board chips away at NHS

News that Hwyel Dda Health Board are commercialising the café facilities at Withybush and the other hospitals in its area is hardly surprising, given the pressures for privatisation under both Labour and Conservatives in recent years. But it is a damaging and retrograde step nonetheless.

Given that it is the Royal Voluntary Service that is being replaced, after running the service for 37 years, it is also an appalling attack on the ethos of the NHS, going back to its foundation in the 1940s. Instead, Withybush will be getting a Costa Coffee and Amigo shop owned by the multinational Medirest. 

Coffee will be going up at Withybush

 The man responsible for this decision, Hwyl Dda Chief Executive Steve Moore is no stranger to introducing the commercial ethic into health operations. He was previously Consulting Director for a global health consultancy, ICF International, and before that he was a Health Chief Executive in England where the pressure for privatisation is rampant.

In a statement about his decision Steve Moore had these weasel words to say about the RVS, “We are very mindful that for many years Glangwili and Withybush hospitals have been provided with highly regarded, first class services by the RVS for patients, staff and visitors. We hold the RVS employees and volunteers in high regard and we hope to continue to work with them in different roles within the healthcare setting in the future.”

The motivation is plain for all to see. Hywel Dda is seeking every opportunity to raise money by commercialising as much of its operation as it can. It will argue that it has a duty to do this to create opportunities for investing in its frontline health services. So why is the change so harmful?

There are three reasons. The first is that it is part of a wider trend for introducing a business-driven dimension into the NHS whose essential purpose is that its services should be free at the point of use. Hywel Dda will argue that what it is doing in no way undermines that principle. I disagree. Start chipping away around the edges and eventually the whole edifice will start to fray.

Secondly, the decision is anti-democratic in that it flies in the face of what I believe are the views of most people living in Pembrokeshire and its neighbouring counties. There is no way of testing this, of course, because the Board is not elected. It is appointed by the Welsh Government with whom it plays pat-ball in passing responsibility to and fro.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the decision undermines the voluntary contribution that is so essential to the running of the NHS and especially the provision of services in the community for older people. The RVS is central to this. Nathan Evans, its area manager responsible for west Wales, said last week that they would have discussions with Hywel Dda “about how we can work together, with our volunteers, to continue our support for older people in the hospitals and in the community.” I hope this works out but it’s going to be very difficult with part of the RVS foundation knocked away.

More to the point, perhaps, buying a cup of coffee at Withybush is inevitably going to be more expensive in future.