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Activists are digging in the wrong place
Extinction Rebellion claims carbon dioxide emissions, as a result of human endeavour, are quickly bringing the planet to a climate catastrophe.
So I wonder if they will be hoping Greta Thunberg will organise a protest to castigate the Japanese intent of building a total of 22 – yes, that is correct – coal-fired power stations to replace its nuclear power plants. In the next five years coal-burning plants will be built at 17 different sites in Japan.
It is claimed the 22 power plants would emit almost as much carbon dioxide annually as all the passenger cars sold each year in the United States.
It would appear that only half the lesson has been learned whereby the Japanese have sensibly turned their backs on the nuclear option – but why coal when the modern efficient gas-fired power stations of the CCGT variety are relatively cheap and quick to build and emit half the emissions of coal-fired stations, especially when the world is awash with gas?
This, of course, is not to forget the coal-fired power stations being built in Germany, China, etc!
So why were eco-activists digging up the lawn in front of the Home Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on February 13? Were they looking for gold, or perhaps their geography matches their knowledge of science?
It is also apparent that members of Extinction Rebellion have no sense of proportion either when UK emissions are less than 2% of global emissions – could it be they are innumerate as well?
Dave Haskell
Brithdir, Cardigan
Magical day out to best high street
We were looking for somewhere to go on one of our random (old) boys’ days out. Someone remembered a news article about Treorci having the best high street in Wales.
So Treorci it was.
We set off for Ponty, what is that thing just over the river bridge? It looks like a giant lump of flubber has fallen out of the sky. Anyway, we carried on up the Rhondda valley.
On arriving at Treorci the first pleasant surprise was free, unlimited car parking – Caerphilly council, please note!
There were clean, open free toilets, Caerphilly council, please note!
We worked our way up High Sreet but something was very noticeable by its absence – litter. Caerphilly council, please note!
We walked as far as Carpanini’s Cardiff Arms Cafe and decided to stop for coffee.
Well, that took longer than expected as it turns out the owners used to keep the Plaza Cafe in Pontllanfraith many decades age, opposite the old Pontllanfraith Low Level station (long gone).
So we swapped stories of steam pies and Horlicks after an evening’s drinking. Of course, being the Valleys we soon got on to “do you remember old so-and-so?”
After lunch in The Lion we left Treorci, checking out the clean open free toilets on the way to the free car park, and set off for the Bwlch.
Why do people fly thousands of miles when we have such scenery on our doorstep? Sunshine is not all it’s cracked up to be.
If you are of a certain age you can take the bus service 120 from Ponty free with your magic ticket. Or the same magic ticket gets you a third off the train fare.
Tidy!
Terry Green
Blackwood
Don’t sign up to this letter service
I do not know how many of your readers (or is it only me?) know that when you pay extra for a letter to be signed for upon delivery that they are not actually signed for on delivery if the letter is sent to big businesses, government departments, MPs, health boards etc.
My experience of this happened last month when I sent two letters on January 8 and I expected replies. After waiting nearly two weeks I checked the Royal Mail tracking service, which stated that “We’ve got it” and then stated “More information will be available once delivery has been attempted”.
Thinking that these letters had been lost or stolen I returned to the Post Office and queried the position, and they said they would look into it and let me know the outcome. They told me to contact Customer Services at Royal Mail, which I did, and was told that the letters had been delivered so I asked for proof, only to be told they could not prove it as they had agreements with big businesses etc. that they would not sign for letters on delivery but on opening the letters and the letters would then be scanned by the receivers.
Getting nowhere with the adviser, I told him I wanted to speak to the managing director and he said he would pass on the message, and he put down the telephone when I asked for compensation.
So my gripe is that the Post Office should not sell a Signed For product without telling the sender the full facts (I do not think the Post Office owners knew this fact until I queried them).
The system is also open to abuse by either the Royal Mail staff (who can say they have delivered the letter) and the receiving organisation, who can open the letter and if they do not like the contents destroy it and say they did not receive it.
I suggested that the delivery person signed for it on delivery but shock and horror ‘they cannot do that’ was the reply I got.
My suggestion is if they want to continue this policy that they get the delivery person to sign that he/she has delivered the letter but not sign that it has been received.
As a matter of interest I did receive a reply to one of the letters a couple of days later but the Royal Mail tracking service still has no record of it being delivered and anyone interested can check these non-signedfor letters by checking the following numbers on the Royal Mail web site: WM481844442GB and WM481844456GB.
Allan Smith
Llanelli
Recent history offers hope to Labour Party
The result of last December’s general election must have been demoralising politically for the Labour Party, especially the extent of the new Conservative majority in Parliament.
But there was a close parallel in 1997 when the Labour Party triumphed in the general election of that year, and the Conservative were necessarily demoralised by the big victory of Tony Blair.
To pursue this parallel, there were several changes of Conservative leadership between 1997 and 2010. John Major stood down in 1997 and William Hague took over but within relatively short periods there were two other opposition Conservative leaders, Iain Duncan Smith, and Michael Howard. But it took another change when David Cameron took over as Prime Minister of a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats in 2010.
My suggestion is that we may see something of the same with the Labour Party in the next five or 10 years. That could help to substantiate my comment in a recent published letter that the candidate appointed in a month or two, whoever it is, may be replaced once or twice in the coming decade.
If Starmer is elected on this initial count, there could be strong pressure to elect a woman candidate within at most five or 10 years. There is nothing necessarily wrong in any political party having a woman leader, but to elect a candidate mainly or principally because she is a woman could be misguided. Look at the case of Margaret Thatcher (a very successful woman leader) or Theresa May (who was somewhat less successful). But it is the merit of any candidate as an individual which really counts.
Michael O’Neill
Penarth
History that’s right under your nose
Your page in last week’s Weekend magazine concerning historically important structures to be found in Cardiff was both interesting and informative.
However, the information on the gothic-style mile marker that London was a precise 158 miles away is not nearly as impressive as the sign erected in Llanddewi Brefi by the Automobile Association many, many years ago showing that London was exactly 211 and 1/4 miles away.
Not a bad achievement of precise measuring more than 70 years ago.
Basil Jones
Cilfrew, Neath
The qualification to lead sadly lacking
True leadership includes taking full responsibility and blame for failure – it also involves having the courage to change direction and if need be getting out of the way to make way for someone else
The current Labour leadership has lost any right to hold the government to account – the electorate have made it clear what they think of his policies and it’s high time to change course. Communist theories are essentially anti-God; therefore, it is actually impossible for them to work for the good of the many
Act immediately!
Stephen Simpson
Newtown
