Paul Flynn - Read My Day

Slow victory?

Today was a great day for me.

Politics is rarely about instant victories. Success is measured in the micro-surgery of thousands of small events. My campaign for a European Convention on drugs started five years ago with a meeting with the International Red Cross / Red Crescent societies. With the help of an international think tank I presented a report to the Social & Health Committee of the Council of Europe.

I traipsed around Europe talking to dozens of politicians seeking common ground on drugs on which a consensus could be built. In October two years ago my report was passed without opposition by the Council of Europe. It was then approved in principle by the Council of Ministers. The body that has to create and introduce the Convention is the Pompidou Group. I spoke to their meeting in Warsaw last November. There is now a strong bow wave of support building up.

The Pompidou Group produced a magnificent detailed feasibility study with authoritative details of the advantages and possible problems ahead. Today in Strasbourg, two other expert bodies submitted their assessments of the feasibility study. Both were enthusiastic and made suggestions for improving the Convention. So far, so promising. The next hurdle is to gain support from a majority of the countries that make up the Pompidou Group. The omens are good The process will continue for at least two more years.

I am now convinced that the Convention will become a reality. At worst it could be a bureaucratic irrelevance. At best it could improve drug policies, save ten of thousands of lives and avoid the waste of the spending of £billions on failing policies. 

The work is almost all behind the scenes. Often the less attention a campaign has the greater chance of success. It will be a long haul. It is the biggest job I've ever tackled in politics. I need four more years to complete it. Voters please note.

Prize wise

Who will accept the prize? 

There was intrigued speculation in Strasbourg today. The British Labour Party had won the second European Prize for gender equality. The Male Portuguese Leader of his delegation  

was lined up to accept the first prize. Would the Leader of the British delegation follow suit?  

That's John Prescott.

His recent comments about Harriet Harman's policy on gender equality might have been a tad embarrassing. The Welsh Baroness Anita Gale was recruited to accept the prize was for Labour's positive discrimination for women candidates. 

Anita was an appropriate recipient because the Labour Party in Wales has been more successful than the UK party in getting women elected.

Permeable membrane

Today I heard about a daring project housing project with an inspired name.

It's in Marseilles and has homes for the elderly cheek by jowl with homes for the very young. It a bold idealistic concept. I wish it well. There will be inevitable problems. It has a great start with its title.

 It's called Osmosis.

No room for good news

What happens when a bad news item becomes a 'good news' item?  It disappears. 

But it's still irritating when an item disappears without trace. It was big on Radio Wales this morning and the Jeremy Vine rang me to debate it at midday. The story involves a constituent of mine who has had some treatment for his cancer in Switzerland. The NHS stumped up the huge cost of that  because the treatment is not available here. Great, NHS.

The story this morning was an allegation that the patients would not have his travelling and residential costs paid. That's was the 'bad news' that excited the Jeremy Vine show. I was dragged out of a debate on Georgia in which I  was speaking. The patient had not previously contacted me. I understand now that the Assembly Member for Newport West was already working on the case and the funding had been allocated. Splendid service. NHS! Well done!

Of course, there is no room for good news. The story was dropped by the Jeremy Vine Show and disappeared from the BBC Wales website. An update might have helped. It could have explained why the original web story was based on a falsehood. 

Perhaps that is too much to ask. 

No dissent Duma

It's over a year since Russia annexed two chunks of land from Georgia and set up independent new states. There was provocation on the Georgian side, but nothing justifies the suffering of those who have been ethnically cleansed from South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The Council of Europe a year ago set up conditions for pacifying the area. Georgia has abided by nearly all the conditions. Russia has respected none of them. The big country is bullying the small countries in the way that they always do. Still no progress on the murder by Polonium 210 of Alexander Litvenenko in spite of a radioactive trail to the culprit. It was the first case in the world of nuclear terrorism. No one has been arrested for the murder of Anna Politkovskanya, the critic of the slaughter of the Chechen population by Russia. No apology either for the cyber-attack on Estonia.

In today's debate I stressed the very close 25 year link between Newport and Georgia's second city Kutaisi. Students, politicians, doctors, rugby players, fireman have all taken part in a very active twinning. A constituent of mine was in Georgia last year when the Russians attacked. What is so depressing about today's debate is that not a single member of the Russian Duma expressed any dissent to the line put out by their monopolistic state media.

Who said....?

Some of the quotations heard I today's debate. 

Where the rule of law stops tyranny begins

You must live simply so others may simply live.

The Council of Europe is the greatest peace project in history.

Trillion explained

A message today from someone correcting an explanation I offered a  while ago on what a trillion is. Thought you would like to know.

Actually One Trillion Seconds equals 31,708 Years, 140 Days, 6 Hours, 49 Minutes, 48 Seconds.

This result takes into account that with our current calendar, the Gregorian Calendar specifies that in century years leap years occur every 400 years and in non-century years leap years occur every 4 years

Under-dogging

It's as good a strategy as any other. 

Peter Mandelson cheered the Labour Party up today. Who could disagree with the logic of 'If I could come back, we can come back.'?  We live in a  time of miracles. One  done. Many to go. If Labour can learn to love Mandelson. The country can learn to love Labour again. Why not?

The Evening Standard chased me today. They were after a supportive quote for Alan Simpson's comment that Gordon Brown must turn things around by Christmas - or else. He did not get one. This is a week to remind the country of the successes of stealth socialism. A good start is to recall the floundering of the Tories in their laissez-faire cowardice on the world financial crisis. The truth will be recognised.

I fell out with one of my closest friends by welcoming Mandelson's return to Government. We have had love-hate-love relationship over the past 30 years. But I have always admired his great skills. They were on display today.

Brief briefing

I had a meal tonight with a couple of near-extinct volcanos. One told me that he was excited about being briefed as a young Foreign Office Minister. He was to be briefed on security by a real MI5 spook. It was a bit of a let-down. The real spy look like a flasher in a mac.

His advice was brief and succinct. 'Don't do it abroad. Don't pay for it. Don't do it with a man. Do I make myself clear?' Assured that he had, the spook departed.

Harold's secret

Another myth exploded was the reason why Harold Wilson resigned.

I recall the day very well. I was in Broadcasting House on an annual meeting with the Broadcasting Council for Wales. Everyone was knocked sideways. The word was that no-one knew it was coming. My companion tonight said that he, the Queen and Harold's wife Mary were the only ones who knew that Harold intended to resign on his 60th birthday.

His reason was not that he had advance warning of his Alzheimer's disease. It was a debt he owed to Mary. She married him as a young college don expecting a university life in which she could quietly devote her life to writing poetry. She hated political life. Retiring at 60 was Harold's attempt to compensate her for the loss of her quiet life out of the limelight.

My friend's verdict on Harold, 'His great kindness was his main strength and weakness.'

Just in time

Total number of British soldier killed in Afghanistan = 218

Modern technology continues to astonish me.

I had a call to write 250 words for the Wales on Sunday newspaper for yesterday morning. I wrote it in a car travelling  to the Channel Tunnel. No I was not driving. To me horror I discovered at 6.00 o'clock last night tat I had e-mailed via a lap-top dongle to the wrong address.

From Strasbourg I sent a text message on my Blackberry telling the Wales on Sunday news editor to copy the words off yesterday's blog. Surely too late for today's paper. 

This morning's paper carried the article. It's as though the whole thing had been carefully planned in good time. The only thing that marred the publication of my balanced and restrained view of Rhodri Morgan was a piece underneath mine by Nick Borne. I supposed he was asked to be  negative. He was - and boring and pedestrian and uninspired. It can only get worse.

French wonders

Tomorrow I start work in the Council of Europe. I've come a day early to enjoy the delights of Alsace.

I visited two relatively new visitors' centre in the village of Ungersheim. One is an Eco-mussee of Alsace life. It is reminiscent of St Fagans Museum of Welsh Life.

 It was a joy today - especillay with a welcome forum an oompah band playing Colonel Bogey.

The second attarction is a wonderful conceived environmentally educational Bioscope. It is aime at the intelligent child. The message are brief, punchy and humorous. A lot of creative thought has been lavished on getting important message across in war that are striking and unforgettable.

Even though France has fallen for the false promise of nuclear power, windmills are sprouting for their hillsides in growing numbers. The Bioscope is the product of a nation with an environmental conscience. Magnifique! 

Consistently consistent

Searching through Wales on Sunday website I came across a mild attack on me. Shocking stuff. Their 'Spin Doctor' accused me of inconsistency for calling for the resignation of Jacqui Smith and not for the resignation of Nigel Griffiths. All nonsense of course.

A tabloid said that Nigel Griffiths would be disciplined by the Speaker and made to resign from the House  because of an encounter with a lady. I said that he would not be disciplined at all. He was not.

I said that Jacqui Smith was a figure of ridicule for flipping her home and claiming for porn movies and she should resign as Home Secretary. She did.

Another scribbler on the paper chastised me for a  a claim that Peter Hain would be Secretary for Wales in future. He is.

It's embarrassing having to remind journos how often I am right and they are wrong. Pull yourselves together hacks!

Anthracite and gossamer

Rhodri Morgan's creed is the anthracite Labour of Aneurin Bevan and Jim Griffiths not the gossamer Labour-lite of Blair and Mandelson.

The ugly power grab by Tony Blair to choose Wales' first leader for centuries eventually helped Rhodri. He was unquestionably Wales' choice triumphing over London's choice. Wales was blighted by generations of politicians  promising home rule who failed at Westminster. Rhodri's generation honoured the dream. Never again,  will we have  alien princes and governor generals imposed on us. 

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In awe we witness the outpourings of his  encyclopaedic brain reminiscent of the poet's schoolmaster, 'and still they gazed and still the wonder grew that one small head could carry all he knew'. 

Rhodri's language is direct, honest and unadorned. When New Labour explained the credit crunch in soothing verbal ectoplasm, Rhodri was asked what will happen. 'God knows' he said. We all understood that. In spite of few opposition corgis snapping at his heels, Rhodri's popularity continues to soar. He is a beacon of straight forward  honesty in the cascading mire of  sleaze  that is engulfing politics. 

Comfortable in his skin and with his nation, Rhodri has led Wales with vision and courage. The deeply egalitarian personality of Wales can cwtch up to a leader that everyone knows by his first name. Sports loving, humour inspired,  untidiness-phobic,  history maker,  beer-tasting, casual dresser, two language wordsmith, Mwnt holiday-maker,universal friend, jargon-free talker, Real Labour rooted, international Welsh diplomat and icon, Rhodri has done Wales proud.

What a shame ten years is such a short time in politics.

Fatal medicine

Ben Goldacre has a striking example of fatal medicine in toady's Guardian. I can support his attack with a personal example. Twelve ears ago a close relative was given a near death sentence because of a cancer. She enthusiastically followed conventional and unconventional medicine and a strict diet. 

A constituent of mine in near identical circumstances refused conventional medicine. With the help of a local newspaper campaign she raised money for the alternative medicine. 

My relative wrote to her urging her to take the conventional medicine as an insurance in additional to the unorthodox treatment. She refused and died within twelve months. My relative is still in robust health/

Ben Goldacre attacks a thoroughly dishonest film that attacks conventional medicine. He writes, "There is an interview with Christine Maggiore, who talks about her difficult decision to go against medical advice by declining to take Aids medication, and how much better she felt as a result.

What the film doesn't tell you, as you shout at the screen, is that Christine Maggiore's daughter Eliza Jane died of Aids and PCP pneumonia three years ago, at the age of three, and, as I reported nine months ago, Christine Maggiore herself died two days after Christmas 2008 of pneumonia, aged 52 (the film finally acknowledges her death in the last 2 seconds of the film, at the end of the lengthy credits, in small letters)."

The film is a plausible series of half-truths and deceptions from the Bad Science industry. It should carry a large health warning.

 Its effects can be fatal.

New Tories: New sleaze?

Stampede of the lobbyists

Cameron’s New Tories are a frightening bunch. Most of his candidates are lobbyists or political nerds. Dozens of Conservative parliamentary candidates are working in the lobbying industry that seeks to influence their party’s leadership.

An investigation by The Times has found that 28 prospective candidates who have a good chance of becoming Tory MPs are working as lobbyists or public relations consultants on behalf of businesses and other interests. More than a quarter got their jobs after being selected to fight seats.

Several acknowledged that they had set up meetings for clients with Shadow ministers, MPs and officials. More said that they had been asked to provide advice on the party’s direction. A few admitted to having pressed clients’ cases to Tory frontbenchers.

The disclosure challenges David Cameron’s promise to usher in a “new politics”. More than a fifth of his 150 candidates most likely to win seats for the first time will have done public affairs work, although a handful have since left the industry. By contrast, only seven Labour and three Liberal Democrat prospective candidates with realistic hopes of victory have jobs in public affairs or communications.

Another survey of 782 prospective parliamentary candidates – 94 per cent of those selected so far, excluding sitting MPs – shows that a greater than ever number are political professionals who have gone directly from university into a political job as an adviser or researcher, and are now in line to enter Parliament. One in three Conservative candidates are employed full time as party functionaries or MPs' advisers despite David Cameron's efforts to recruit more MPs with real-life experience of the world over which they will legislate.

It could be out with real people and in with hired persuaders and the political inbreeds. It’s not a promising prospect.

Lie deflector

Strange how many papers missed out the events affecting our PM confused as they were by a malicious lie from an un-named diplomat.

Gordon Brown was hailed as a hero for "stabilising" the world economy and showing "compassionate leadership".

He was honoured as world statesman of the year at a VIP-packed gala dinner.
Rock star Bono, Queen Rania of Jordan, were among the audience as Kissinger praised Brown for his "vision and dedication" in handling the world economic crisis.

"His leadership has been essential to our ability to overcome the moment of danger," said Kissinger.  The BBC has a revealing documentary, which revealed the vital role that the UK played in saving the world economy. But not worth a mention in most papers.

Why allow the truth to obscure steaming lies?

Coffee and song

The last time I went to High Cross school I was entertained by the pupils singing the Irish National Anthem in Irish.

This is an impressive achievement. They do not sing in Ireland in Irish. The teacher responsible for giving the children this rare skill was not present this morning. One child sang the anthem on a holiday visit to Mexico. That must have made an impression. The school had joined in the World’s biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan nurses.

Rosemary Butler was one of the coffee drinkers. Two grandparents had come all the way from Yorkshire for the event.

What’s wrong with coffee in Yorkshire?

 

End the war

The convention belief is that public meetings are dead.

A full room in Newport proved that anger over Afghanistan is boiling over. A good turnout tonight were unanimous is their wish for the war to end. Relatives of a recently fallen soldier called for better equipment for our soldiers. A former human shield in Iraq said that it was not just Armoured Personnel Carriers  that are intimidating. The arrival of armed troops is also petrifying and she had experience of that.

One well known Pillgwenlly  character said he was thinking of voting Plaid. He was told that the MP for Newport West after May 7th next year was almost certainly at the meeting. The choice is between the Tory candidate who attended and me. I offered generous odds that it would not be Plaid or Lib Dem. 

All who mentioned last night's BBC programme 'Wounded' were horrified by the injuries and shocked by the willingness of the soldiers to return to the front. Our next meeting will be a mini-conference on Biofuels. Another good audience is expected.

The message of tonight is stop the patrols and bring our boys home.

Fewer holidays

The new Speaker is doing great things.

He promised to reduce the parliamentary recess by restoring the September session. Great. Being effectively silenced in the Commons for 82 days is frustrating. I have been lucky this recess because the media have given me lots of chances to ventilate on Afghanistan. Other backbenchers have not been so lucky.

The reason for the long parliamentary recess dates back to the time when the Thames stank  by

late July and it was unbearable to work in the Commons. London's river and air have long been cleaned up. Our parliament works long hours compared with other parliaments. But there can be no justification for a three months recess. It destroys the ability of MPs to hold the Executive to account.

Well done John Bercow.

Volunteer soldiers?

Two news stories beg to be linked but no news media has done it. A correspondent does:-

"On the BBC news tonight, I saw a soldier who had lost both of his legs, and one arm. His ambition was to get back to his regiment, and as soon as possible back to the front line.  Brave, and quite remarkable. 

 The previous night on the BBC news, I saw large groups of young, well-fed, fit men with tears in their eyes.  Why were they so emotional?  Was it because of the soldier’s tragic, life destroying predicament?  No, it was because their makeshift camp in Calais, was being raised to the ground by the nasty French authorities.  All these fit, well fed young men were all on their way to England (surprise, surprise), by any means possible, because it’s far too dangerous in their own country of Afghanistan.  

The hundreds of soldiers, like the one on the BBC news, who are losing their lives, their limbs, and their eyesight or have suffered brain damage because of enemy action in Afghanistan, remarkably, are not crying.  They even want to get back and risk their lives again.  So, why aren’t the crying, fit, well fed young immigrant men in Calais, back in Afghanistan, fighting the oppressive elements that are wrecking havoc on the country they profess to love?  

How can they sit there in self inflicted squalor, whilst our young, innocent soldiers are killed and maimed day after tragic day?  Have they no conscience, no scruples, or are they just plain selfish cowards?  I’m sure I don’t know.  

 Isn’t it a pity that those crying, well fed, fit young men have so little pride in themselves and for their own country, or for their own people, that they are sitting on their backsides in France.   Shouldn’t they be back-home risking their lives, rather than our soldiers lives to make their country worth living in?  Make your own minds up.  I’m only commenting on what I, as a layman see.  This disgusting, illegal, mercenary war was launched in none of our names, and therefore should be stopped, NOW.  Save our soldiers for a legal war, not one for greed. "

Subsidy for the rich

 This is a stupid tax. Those who chose live in rural areas face higher bills. The poor have fled the countryside and moved to towns. Their jobs have disappeared and rural council houses have been sold off.  There is rush to the countryside by urban rich settlers using the appreciation  they have gained on their inner city homes. 

All services to scattered rural communities are expensive. Delivering a letter to a farm can use a half a litre of diesel per farm. Delivering to a house in a terraced street costs next to nothing. But the price of a stamp is the same. Rural dwellers are subsidised by the urban poor.

Now all urban families and pensioners will pay an additional £6-a-year broadband tax. The Government's minister in charge of the plans has said he is aiming to bring in the new charge in a forthcoming finance bill. A tax of 50p a month on all land lines to fund 'superfast broadband' could now be made law by the end of the year. 

For almost all other situations market forces apply. If services are expensive in rural areas, rural people should pay the cost. Rural areas are richer than urban areas. Why subsidise the rich?

All taxpayer families are now forced to pay an average  farm tax of subsidies, support and free insurance of £700 annually.  

This is no longer justified as farm single payments are hand-outs for owning land rather than for producing food.  British meat production ceased for six months during the foot and mouth outbreak. But it created no shortages of meat or increases in supermarket prices because alternatives are available. 

Taxpayers' money was used as state charity and income support for millionaires including, between 2002 and 2004, sums of £2.2 million to Sir Richard Sutton, £1.5 million to the Vestey family, £2.5 million to Alan Turner, £900,000 each to the Duke of Radnor, the Earl of Plymouth and the Duke of Richmond, £799,000 to the Duke of Westminster and £300,000 to the Duchy of Cornwall. It almost certainly higher than that now.

The rich aristocrats must be pleased to hear that their broadband will be subsidised. Thank you, urban suckers.

 

 

Wounded

The BBC's 'Wounded' programme tonight was hard viewing.

The wounds suffered by our soldiers were dreadful. The hospital treatment was miraculous, but little could be done to help the inevitable suffering of those who had  lost limbs and eyes. The  spirit of the wounded soldiers was extraordinary.

One without legs said he wanted to return to the front line. They all wanted to talk to their old comrades in arms. There were no signs of bitterness about their shattered lives. The military camaraderie was still strong and no one questioned the mission.

Those who took the decisions to inflame the Taliban in Helmand could not have watched these tragedies with a clear conscience. I am glad I am not in their shoes.

 

Tomorrow night

Thursday at 7.30

Newport Civic Centre

Discussion on Afghanistan -the future

All welcome

Day of hope

The leaders of the world's two greatest polluters were in harmony today.

President Obama is truly fired up. He has problems shifting many of his bovine brained people to recognised climate change as a world's greatest threat. Bush never understood the problem and believed that the whole scare was a European attempt to destroy US industry. Great swathes of the manic anti-Obama moronocracy refuse to recognise the overwhelming lesson of science.

Two years ago, I blogged enthusiastically after meeting a delegation of Chinese environmental scientists. They were knowledgeable and alarmed. Their politicians were hoping to progress to a modern economy by leap-frogging the dirty industrial revolution that we suffered. China will increase efforts to improve energy efficiency and curb the rise in CO2 emissions, President Hu Jintao has told the UN climate summit in New York today.

China and the US each account for about 20% of the world's greenhouse gas pollution from coal, natural gas and oil. The European Union is responsible for 14%, followed by Russia and India with 5% each. There are stormy days ahead and promises have to turned into action.

 But today is a day of hope. 

Wounded

I'm dreading it because I know it will make me angry.

At 9.00 tomorrow the BBC will broadcast a programme titled 'Wounded". It will be a heartbreaking account of bodies broken in Afghanistan. 

For what? .....a hopeless cause. 

All CND now

Two years ago Gordon Prentice, John Austin and I persuaded the Parliamentary Labour Party to debate Trident. The PLP refused to vote on our plea to drop this expensive, dangerous and futile virility symbol.

 Gordon will indulge tomorrow in a bit of nuclear disarmament. It not dropping Trident altogether but it's a start. More importantly, Obama would like to get rid of nuclear weapons. Another old dream is coming true.

Novel talk

An intriguing night talking to the ADG Training Group.

An invitation out of the blue came after I did an interview on the Word of Mouth Radio Four Show. The request for a talk on the non-political subject of language. This was irresistible as a novelty and I greatly enjoyed myself.

The transport specialists were a responsive audience in the Ffrwrm Ishta pub in Bedwas. Thank you very much ADG.

No more troops

Total of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan = 217

At last a real Afghan debate. General McCrystal has used the previously forbidden words, ‘exit’, ‘defeat’ and today ‘failure’.

His diagnosis is right. His medicine of more troops is not.

Britain must say no to the demand for more troops to be sent to Afghanistan. We have already suffered more than our fair share of deaths and serious injuries. Only America has lost more soldiers. The total of fatalities from all other 19 European countries is 212, less than the total of 217 British dead. 2,500 of our soldiers have been repatriated on medical grounds – many with serious injuries.

This is a NATO operation, but Britain is bearing a wholly disproportionate share of the burden in deaths, serious injuries and financial costs. British taxpayers paid £2.5 billion last year for the Afghan war. If extra troops are to be provided in answer to General McCrystal’ call today, they must come from other nations.

Fatalities:

USA: 830            UK: 216        Canada: 130       Germany: 38      France: 31    Denmark: 27     Spain: 25          Italy: 21         Netherlands: 21   Poland: 13        Australia: 11   Romania: 11    Estonia: 6         Norway: 4       Czech Rep:3   Latvia: 3           Hungary: 2      Portugal: 2       South Korea: 2  Sweden: 2       Turkey: 2           Belgium: 1        Finland: 1        Lithuania: 1

General McCrystal is quoted saying. "Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term [next 12 months]... risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible." He warns that "inadequate resources will likely result in failure".

The General deserves congratulations for his realism. We still have general babbling inanely about 40 more years. But he is wrong in believing that success is possible. Public opinion will revolt against risking more lives to serve Karzai corrupt Government and their rigged election. Last year the Taliban was in control of 72% of the territory of Afghanistan. Now it’s 80%. The battle is already lost.

Rhodri sob-in

Time to get ready for a Labour Welsh sob-in.

I had hoped that Rhodri Morgan would stay after his 70th birthday on the 29th of this month. He said he was going on his birthday. But he did not say which one. He will have another one next year. The party is not in the mood for an election. In fact an 'Abolition of Elections and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill' would be strongly supported by Labour MPs at the moment-plus others concerned about their P45s.

But the evidence that he will go next week is building up. I did two television interviews today to be broadcast when it happens. I have also had phonecalls from two of the candidates who hope to replace him. I tried to make it easier for them by anticipating their question. It's embarrassing for the candidates but canvassing has to be done.

There are other preparations going on. I've had to dig deep into my store of Rhodri anecdotes. It's all very sad.  Rhodri is the first Leader Wales has had for several centuries. After ten years of his reign he remains remarkably popular. In retrospect he was helped by Tony Blair's attempt to foist his candidate on Wales. After waiting so long, Wales wanted our own chosen one. We have had two many alien princes and governor generals imposed on us.

Welsh history is sad repetitions of betrayals by generations of Welsh politicians who had promised home rule to get elected in Wales, then failed to deliver at Westminster. I am proud to belong to the generation that did honour its promise.

Rhodri has done Wales proud.

Old Friends

This is a post for Old Illtydians. Some photographs taken in 1951 have arrived. They are fascinating reminders of school day in St Illtyds then in the heart of Splott. These are mainly of Kevin Doherty and Michael Colbert. John Bremford, Rod Connors and John Benedict Donovan are also included. Many of us are still all in robust good health.