Cardiff Central Greens - Fair is worth fighting for!

LDP: Will the Council ignore residents again ?

2010-09-08T11:25:00.003+01:00

I just came across the news that Cardiff Council is to hold lots of public meetings between now and the end of the process of creating the new Local Development Plan, a hugely important policy document that guides the future development of the city for years to come.

Peter Cox from the Civic Society rightly points out that this does not automatically mean the Council will listen. In fact Cardiff has a terrible history of deciding exactly what will happen before engaging in tokenistic 'consultation' where the Council tries to convince everyone else that their plans are the right thing to do.

I just got back from Oxford where some friends who also happen to be anti-cuts campaigners attended a 'consultation' meeting run by Tory controlled Oxfordshire county Council about local service cuts. One asked whether, as it was a public meeting, they would be able to vote to save the local economy. I don't yet know what the answer was, but I'm sure the Council's attempt at tokenistic consultation may have backfired somewhat!

Everyone who wants to influence the LDP should have the means to do so, which begins with a conversation about where we want the city to go in the next few decades, not a lecture from one side. Councils need to empower people, not to take power away from them.

And this is exactly what Norwich Greens will be doing if they take over their Council tomorrow, the first time Greens will have been in this position in the UK. They are talking about communities themselves making decisions about where funding goes, asking people what services should be most protected from cuts, and taking outsourced local services back in house so they can be democratically accountable one again.

Check them out at http://www.norwichgreenparty.org.uk

Inspired Youth

2010-07-08T17:10:00.007+01:00

I've come back from a long week and a half of Glastonbury festival and the fabulous People and Planet network's Summer Gathering just outside Oxford. I'm very glad I did both, since they ended up complimenting each other perfectly in a way I've only just realised.

So working with the Workers Beer Company (an excellent organisation that treated us all well) I was walking around at Glasto even more than a normal punter, so I struggled to see everyone I wanted to since my feet could only take so much for a week.

I managed to see The Magic Numbers, Hot Chip, The Cribs, First Aid Kit, Imogen Heap, Coheed and Cambria, MGMT, The Drums, Dirty Projectors and a few more. But what I really took away from the experience was Billy Bragg's performance. I thought it'd be interesting since it was right in the aftermath of the Emergency Budget, and naturally he might have something to say about it.

I have to say I'm not too familiar with his backcatalogue although there's some that really touch me like "Never cross a picket line" and "world turned upside down", but it was more what he said than what he sung that has stayed with me.

Of course he mentioned the budget in passing, saying that we will all need to be ready to defend the nurses and teachers and other public sector workers whose livelihoods are under threat. These times will be like the 1980s, he said, but rising to the challenge to defend our public services and jobs will be harder than before since the answer is less clear cut, we don't have Marxism anymore to look to.

I didn't quite go along with that, since I don't think we need an all embracing-framework to argue against the cuts that are being forced through. The British left could never unite at the moment on those specifics. But we all agree that we want to defend jobs and resist the cuts that will send us into depression. We all know that cuts are not necessary, and we need the exact opposite right now.
What he did say though was that to him, socialism was not about books or doctrines, it was the basic idea of 'organised compassion', that ensures everyone has access to good education, healthcare and affordable housing. I've been looking for such a basic way to explain how I feel, and he hit it right on the head there.

But what was most important was when said that we have one enemy more dangerous than unfettered capitalism, our own cynicism that we can't change things and fight for the justice I've just mentioned. Being from Barking, he went on and on about how happy he was to have smashed the BNP at the last election and how this was an example of believing that people on the grassroots can bring about change. What he loved more than anything was the new, young generation of anti-fascists getting out in Barking to carry the torch.

So we need to do the same thing to defend our public services, and what some call our 'cynical generation' of young people need to believe, once we've got that, we can achieve anything.

And now how this perfectly came onto Summer Gathering, straight from the train from Glasto. These student activists from around the country are truly inspirational and have campaigned and won huge victories on their campuses and further afield. Whether it's ethical investment, kicking RBS off campus or smashing sweatshops, they get it done.

The most striking example at the event was when we heard that a whole campaign, targetting RBS for its investments in tar sands and fossil fuel extraction, was no longer going to be supported by a paid intern. The guys there didn't grieve, they discussed how the network of activists was going to run it voluntarily, and even more, they got excited about this change! I came away feeling that this campaign had only just begun and gave me so many ideas for my role as Ethical and Environmental Officer at my Student Union next term.

These are young activists who believe, campaign, and win. We've shone a light on fossil fuel funding, achieved big change in how universities tackle their environmental impact and more. They are going to head top NGOs, become MPs and be running the country in not too many years.

Billy said have hope. These guys do, and are getting stuff done.

While risking sounding like Obama, hope, action and dedication are all we need to succeed. So let's get out there to fight the cuts and win the fight against climate change.

Looking forward to 2011

2010-07-08T17:04:00.003+01:00

When I read the news and saw the first YouGov poll for the Assembly elections next year I decided to look up the data in more detail to see the Regional List results.
And I'm glad I did, because it had Greens on 9% in South Wales Central, our target region where we have best chance of electing our first AM next year. This figure is more than enough - between 7-8% would usually be enough to get a Green into the Senedd. Last time there was an election using proportional representation we got 6.4% in the region, showing we're on the way and can do it.

So now we have this data to show to people and say that Greens can get elected next year, we just need to convince people that there are good reasons to vote Green on the list - to oppose the ConDem's ideological and economically illiterate spending cuts and to argue for investment in green jobs to set us onto the path for a low-carbon future, and to get us out of recession in a way the right-wing ideas of slash and burn won't.

My email to Hague, Clegg and Jenny Willott

2010-05-31T10:24:00.001+01:00

Dear Mr Hague, Mr Clegg and Ms Willot,

I am appalled to learn that the Israeli armed forces have killed up to 10 people on board a ship carrying aid to Gaza. Israel continues an illegal siege on Gaza by starving Palestinians of essential resources, and now is killing people who try to address this injustice by bringing aid to the region. I have heard that there are also British citizens on board these ships.

I urge you to take all necessary action in light of these events, including a full and unequivocal condemnation, the immediate ending of all arms exports to Israel and reviewing of the EU-Israeli trade agreement which requires that Israel respect human rights in return for trading with the Eurozone.

I do sincerely hope you take all required action and take this opportunity to draw a line under the UK's historic complicity in Israeli human rights abuses.

Yours,

Sam Coates

My complaint to the BBC over its reporting of Israel's massacre

2010-05-31T10:23:00.002+01:00

This is a copy of my complaint to the BBC regarding this morning's coverage of what has happened in Gaza

to: helenboaden.complaints@bbc.co.uk,
Peter.Horrocks@bbc.co.uk

Dear both,

I was shocked this morning to see the BBC running an full statement from the Israeli government, littered with half-truths and distortions as well as out-right lies, without any critical analysis or opportunity for the other side to comment. This bias is very worrying given the BBC claims to be a neutral reporter of the news and is basically reporting the incident exactly as the Israeli Government would hope. I can barely think of another country that would get such uncritical reporting.

I urge to immediately address this imbalance and conduct an enquiry into the BBC's reporting of Israel and the Middle East conflict, beginning with the shocking coverage of last year's assault on Gaza.

Yours,

Sam Coates

English Defence League Protest in Cardiff - June

2010-04-07T10:41:00.003+01:00

I'm very concerned to learn about the planned demo by the English Defence League in Cardiff in a couple of months. The past has shown in places like Bolton that thugs are bussed in across the country to intimidate local people.

Like in Swansea and Newport we need to show that racists are not welcome in Cardiff and we need to mobilise the local community even more than at these 2 demos in Wales.

The protest has been planned for the 5th June at 3pm outside Central Station, which clearly suggests EDL from outside are preparing to come and back up whatever locals may be involved.

There is an organising meeting of Wales Unite Against Fascism tomorrow (Thursday) night at Transport House, Cathedral Road at 7PM

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=95291749158&topic=12894#!/event.php?eid=112975682046644&ref=ts

Friends of the Earth Pledge

2010-04-07T00:15:00.000+01:00

Having been contacted today I am commiting to the following policies if elected -

Policy 1: A local carbon budget for every local authority: that caps CO2 in the local area in line with the scientific demands for emissions cuts and local circumstances; and enough money and technical support to enable councils to do their bit to tackle climate change.

Policy 2: Sufficient investment in switching to a low carbon economy to: achieve a reduction in UK greenhouse gas emission of 42 per cent by 2020; create jobs and boost the recovery; and eliminate fuel poverty.

Policy 3: An international deal on cutting emissions where those responsible make the deepest cuts first, and developing countries are supported to grow in a low carbon way.

Policy 4: A new law which will tackle the major greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation caused by the UK’s dependence on imported feeds for livestock - and which will support better UK farming and domestic feed production.

Critical Mass

2010-03-07T19:59:00.003Z

Yesterday I took part in Cardiff's recently launched Critical Mass, where a group of cyclists reclaim the streets for whatever reason the feel is appropriate.

I've wanted to take part in one of these for years and was very excited when I heard there was going to be one in Cardiff. Personally, I did it to raise awareness of cyclists rights, that roads are our space too, and cyclists lead the way in sustainable transport despite poor local policy.

Here is a photo of us midway through the ride, I'm not sure who took it so I will credit the Facebook group:
http://bit.ly/cxY9jj

I must say I was totally shocked by the intolerance and aggression of some motorists along the route. 'Holding the line' at the back of the group felt very scary and one driver rammed the cyclist next to me, bending his rear wheel. Lots of angry words were exchanged. Just round the corner, a white van drove over the pavement and into our group, accelerating so fast that the cyclists in front had to almost bail out of the way - otherwise they would have been hit. To top it off, the driver got out of the vehicle brandishing some sort of weapon (I'm not sure exactly what) and nearly attacked one of the participants.

I got some abuse myself toward the end, the car behind me threatening to run me down and shouting dismissively when told he would end up in jail if he did that. Luckily we were approaching red lights which meant the driver could do little, and the police turned up at that point, telling us to leave a clear route because the aggressive response of drivers had nearly caused an accident.

This is a brave act the participants do each month, and I'm grateful to the people who made me feel more comfortable when I was on the front line.

We ended the cycle on the next road and some others spent a long time talking with the police, making sure the dangerous driving we'd seen was reported.
After quite an unnerving experience we decanted to the microbeer festival in Riverside for a more relaxed afternoon!
It is crazy how people will behave when they have an engine in front of them....

A Victory for Students

2010-03-07T15:16:00.003Z

I heard from the Students' Union a few days ago that Cardiff Council is set to launch a liscensing policy for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in Cathays from this summer!

This is fantastic news, students in Cardiff have had to put up with sub-par housing for too long and this is a big step towards changing this. From Next academic year, my understanding is that landlords will have to have their property inspected to ensure it meets minimum standards before it can be let.

I've heard terrible stories from some friends about their houses, one person being forced to begin legal proceedings against their landlord but having to back down due to the enormous financial consequences that would be thrown their way by more expensive lawyers from the other side! I'm not a stranger to slow repairs myself, having to wait 2 months for a hole in my kitchen ceiling to be fixed!

The root of the problem is of course far too few rights and a lack of regulation in the whole private rented sector. I hope that this scheme is speedily extended into Roath, another highly student populated area before eventually being applied to the whole city.

And a massive congratulations to Ed Dolding, the Student Union's Campaigns Officer, who has worked hard for this. This is not the only thing he has achieved this year, but this on its own would be an unusually brilliant record for a sabbatical officer!

UK Border Agency Protest

2010-03-07T14:55:00.003Z

This post is a bit late after the event, but I promised a local activist I would do something!

You may well be aware of what's been happening in the UK Borders Agency in Cardiff - allegations of institutionalised racism of the most dispicable kind. One officer allegedly told child soldiers to lie on the floor and 'show how they shot at people'.

I didn't make it to the demonstration the other week but was very pleased by the attendance, over 200 people turning up to express their anger with borders policy in this country. What has changed is that far more refugees turned up this time, a brave act if you are waiting for your application to be dealt with. It's fantastic to see such a widespread community reaction to what is going on, and I promise I will attend the next demostration and make every effort to keep going until the Government has responded properly to the demands of Refugee Voice Wales and others.

I won't write anything more because everything that needs to be said has been done already by the excellent post on the No Borders website.

(Just to point out - The Green Party does not have a policy to open our borders completely but we certainly advocate a much, much fairer system and better treatment of refugees).

But to conclude: I wholeheartedly support the demands made by Refugee Voice Wales, we certainly cannot deport anyone whilst this is going on!

Assembly Referendum

2010-02-03T18:06:00.003Z

News breaks today that next week the Assembly will be asked to vote in favour of a referendum on giving itself full lawmaking powers. This is something I've wanted to see as long as I can remember.

I'm excited to see that the momentum seems to have built since Carwyn Jones has taken the post of First Minister. I may well go to the public gallery myself to watch the debate on Tuesday, it's going to be a heated one with the Lib Dems and Tories threatening to abstain unless a referendum on the same day as the next Assembly Election is ruled out.

The referendum definitely shouldn't be on the same day as the election, it raises several questions. How could the Assembly actually take on these powers straight after the election and will the various bureaucracies be ready? Should parties have to talk about the referendum as well as their policies?

It seems rather muddy to me. We should have the referendum soon after the General Election, hopefully this autumn, so there's plenty of time to get everything ready before the next Assembly Election to make sure the new term hits the ground running and delivers real change, and protects Wales from the ravages of the Tories.

But on the 2 partes making it an issue for this vote, right now, doesn't make sense. It takes forever for Westminster to do anything for the Assembly, so it makes no sense to argue over this now. Get the vote passes, get the order back from Parliament and then we can decide the date.

Hope for Cardiff Rare Books Collection

2010-02-03T17:33:00.003Z

I attended Cardiff University Senate today in my capacity as a student member. On the agenda was the effort by the University to aquire thousands of rare books, some dating back to the 15th century from city Council archives.

Some time ago the Council decided that in their efforts to make a quick buck, this collection of books which includes a rare Shakespeare collection and early bibles was an easy target and decided they would be auctioned to pay for the new library.

I was very worried by this, but have today found out that the University is working very hard to take the collection off their Council's hands for a fair price and keep it in Cardiff where it belongs.

I asked a question regarding access to the collection by the general public, and was told that anyone would be welcome to see the books subject to appointment and supervision, like the other rare collections they hold.

All in all, this seems a better outcome than flogging them to all corners of the world or leaving them to gather dust in Council archives.

I was also approached by a member of the University and Colleges Union regarding the ongoing campaign for the University to adopt an Ethical Investment policy. Good to see the Union is on our side, and am looking forward to the meeting next week on the subject.

Selling crisis? Or solving it in the background?

2010-01-03T23:23:00.003Z

I've been involved in some way in environmental politics for 5 and a half years now, but in the last few months my perspective has changed measurably and now I feel rather lost as to how I feel the movement and the Greens should progress.

I was very unusual when I joined the Green Party aged 16. I had never been involved in campaigning before and was not a member of any NGOs or other activities that members tend to come from. I had been concerned about the 'greenhouse effect' for some time but was at this getting interested in politics proper. I had looked through the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru for a home but after seeing Jean Lambert on the TV and reading more about the Green Party decided that it's policies just made sense and actually attempted to tackle the roots of the problems our society faces.

My first active involvement after going to a few local meetings was delivering leaflets for our candidate in the 2005 general election - I can't remember a single thing it said. I also ran the mock election campaign in my school (my friend was the candidate). Our strategy was a clumsy poster with a list of about 10 policies that addressed everything.

I think the main issues I was interested in aside from climate change was promoting local business and Iraq and top up fees. I don't know if I thought very hard about how we should engage voters or what issues we should talk to them about. I had known for a long time than I was left wing but hadn't thought about what issues we should focus on in getting the votes in, as opposed to just expect people to see the truth and vote for it.

There were no elections in 2006 in Wales and I went off to university in Exeter. The following spring we were working on the Assembly Elections back home which I only really delivered leaflets for again. The freepost leaflet was a crass depiction of "Caerleon-on-sea" etc and I think I began to realize that this is not how you get people elected.

I also stood myself for the first time for the Council in Exeter. I wrote a paragraph to go on an election leaflet that advocated congestion charging and I don't think much else. I was very happy to beat the Labour candidate and get 3rd place because a lot of my friends at uni voted for me. Sadly the incumbent Lib Dem councilor lost her seat by one vote to the Tories, a few people said I 'helped' split the 'liberal' vote, which may have had some truth in it considering how shocked she was to lose.

By the time 2008 came around with the onset of the financial crisis I had developed a more concrete vision of social justice and thought that the Green Party should shut up totally about climate change and take the ground vacated by old Labour. We would get in on a social justice mandate and sort out the climate on the side. I heartily approved of Sian Berry's focus on the cost of living.

That's what I thought we should stick to for most of this year: renationalising select industries that were being inefficient in their need for profit, solve the recession by creating green jobs and sort out climate change. Climate change was almost an excuse to restructure society in an updated democratic socialist direction. We didn't need to convince the public that acting against it was an emergency because we'd win their support by making their lives better.

Then I started an internship with Stop Climate Chaos, the main UK climate coalition consisting of hundreds of NGOs and community organizations. This non-partisan territory was new to me and I was looking forward to seeing what it was like doing climate change without the politics. As I hoped, it put me on a path to reconnecting with the emotional trauma that an awareness of climate change brings, not just a fact that is part of an ideological arsenal for elections. I actually remembered in my HEART that hundreds of thousands of people are dying every year because of climate change and countless more in hardship because of it. Mobilizing for The Wave became a desperate outcome rather than wearily turning up to the annual demo that got smaller each year. This demonstration would matter and we had to put the pressure on for a fair and ambitious deal at Copenhagen. I lost much of the cynicism towards the establishment I had because of the emotional need to do something. Copenhagen was the last chance.

When I went to People's and Planet's annual gathering in November I broke down while watching a film about the tar sands. This was the most I'd ever *felt* it.

Despite being responsible for 50 students going to London in December, I didn't turn up myself. I'd booked for a music festival before I even knew about it. Part of me missed being there but I'm glad in hindsight I didn't since it would have sent me further on the rollercoaster.

I believed the line I was parroting that it was US, the people who would decide whether Copenhagen counted, not the politicians. I had to go there myself, and be part of the people's movement that was going to take back the power. I wanted to get there and stay for the length of the talks, be part of the temporary anarchist communities that we set up and perhaps even be at the brunt of the police. Being very low on funds and not having enough time to hitch, I settled on going with Friend's of the Earth for 2 days proper in the city and a lot of hours on a bus.

The main activity was the 100,000 strong march towards the Bella Center on the Saturday calling for justice and for the rich nations to give up the pursuit of profit at all costs. For the first time I felt the people around me were not angry enough, that this marching was a charade and wasn't going to do anything. We got as far as a big road somewhere near the centre and a big stage where some people were making speeches. It was bitterly freezing.

We spend the following day at Klimaforum, or the People's summit which was far more up my street, discussing how WE confront the climate crisis. The Global Greens session was inspiring and made me feel like ordinary activists may actually see as as a proper wing of the movement rather than an obscure far left project.

I came home, slowly preparing myself for what was going to be an agreement with inadequate targets with offsetting rendering it useless. We didn't even get that, we got virtually no money for developing countries and no targets, just a scientifically dubious commitment to a 2 degree ceiling on emissions. I said to myself that its time to brush the politicians aside and sort this our for ourselves, but I'm not I'd thought exactly what that meant, how were we to do it? I could feel my politics radicalizing more.

For most of the holiday I sank into a vacant self-centered daze, thinking very little and trying to forget about climate change. I some how came to the conclusion that my assumption about not mentioning climate change couldn't be more wrong. How are we to sort it out of if it's just not a priority for most people? How can we make the controversial decisions even in government if the population is not signed up? But if we're not going to get into power soon do we need to use our platform to agitate popular action on the climate?

The Green Party is doing exactly what I said about sweeping the politicians aside. We are ordinary people desperate to take action on this issue, we will be electing our first MPs in 5 months but how will they take the issue on?

I wasn't sure what kind of conclusion I would come to when I started writing this: do we campaign for election against climate change or the excesses of capitalism? The people of the south need us in the north to get our leaders to get their heads of their arses and be fair, this issue is now very emotional to me and not just that it all makes sense. Can we get anywhere by raging on about climate change? What do we do?

Full speed ahead for further full Assembly powers

2009-11-18T20:43:00.001Z

We should have a referendum on full law making powers for the Assembly to take place as soon as practicable. We need them so that Wales can drive ahead with fresh ideas to tackle the recession and green the economy.

The current system of piecemeal powers is overly convoluted and means that Assembly spends more time trying to acquire powers than exercising them.The Assembly Government should spend its time supporting people and small business in such a deep recession rather than jumping through hoops for the sake of Westminster’s mistrust in the ability of Wales to govern itself.

Jobs losses and the debate over further powers are tightly bound together. The people of Wales need action on the green jobs needed to get through the recession and move our economy in a low carbon direction. With the General Election looming, and the threat of Tory rule, such measures look remote, but Wales can insulate itself from the ravages of the Tories by exercising full law making powers.

In the words of David Cameron, you can’t fit a cigarette paper between the 3 main parties, the difference is that the Tories’ commitment to public spending cuts is dogmatic, it’s vital that Wales votes to stand on its own feet and reject Tory rule.

Voting for full powers will not completely protect Wales from cuts, the Assembly does not have the power to vary income tax or borrow money as a Council does. This means that cuts in public spending will be passed on whoever is in power in Cardiff Bay, the battle is over deciding where the cuts go and rejecting the inevitable attacks on vulnerable groups and marketisation of our public services.

The Assembly should be an effective, confident institution so it can deliver the jobs we need. Let’s slash carbon, not jobs and public services.

Clegg backs top up fees

2009-09-20T11:33:00.002+01:00

Looking at what's happening at Lib Dem conference it seems the Green Party is now the only party to oppose university top up fees. Nick Clegg claims that because of the need to make 'savage' public spending cuts (which I am unconvinced of) it is 'dishonest' to claim we can get rid of them, claiming it would cost £2bn a year. Although Charles Kennedy claimed it would only cost £700m, even if the larger figure is accurate we could easily find the money by cutting real waste (not frontline services) from areas like Trident and ID cards.
I can't work out why the cost would have climbed so quickly though!
There is an excellent post on this done by a fellow Green up in Scotland.

By closing tax loop holes and reclaiming some of that £20bn a year lost to corporate tax dodging, abolishing fees and the restoring of statutory grants is only a small part of what we can do towards creating a more equal society.

The Lib Dems in Cardiff Bay tried to make political capital out of their opposition to fees when Plaid shamelessly voted against their own policy and supported Labour's introduction of the charge in Wales. It will be interesting to see how they react to this weekend's developments.

Labour's BNP Hypocrisy

2009-09-08T12:14:00.006+01:00

So, Peter Hain is to boycott Question Time in response to the BBC's proposal to invite Nick Griffin onto the air. Labour's position is that to share a platform with the party would legitimise it's appalling views.

Well I have news for all of them. You've been doing it for years - treating refugees like dirt with £37 a week to live on if you don't fall for the trap of saying you're staying with someone, in which case you get absolute naff all. Forced destitution of asylum seekers by refusing the right to work, deportation of gays and political activists to countries where they face persecution and torture.

And to top if off, the 'British jobs for British workers' nonsense, after Brown used this phrase, Labour cannot ever claim to be opposed to everything the BNP stands for.

I heard an excellent retort to this horrible phrase at Green Party conference: 'human rights for human beings'.

Labour is to blame for the rise of the BNP - continuing the market dominated approach to housing which has led to shortages for everyone whilst chipping away at our public services hoping that the public are too stupid to recognise a disingenuous back-door privatisation agenda.

Greenfield house building and Junction 33

2009-09-01T22:44:00.005+01:00

This is my first blog entry about things happening in Cardiff, so please forgive me if the style is a bit patchy!

Two stories have emerged this week which together make the logic of Cardiff Council and the Assembly Government look rather indecisive.

1) WAG calls in Cardiff's application for an International Business Park at Junction 33 of the M4 on Greenfield land. The Sustainability Minister, Jane Davidson says this is because the project would contradict Welsh planning policy advising against development on Greenfield Land.

2) WAG tells Cardiff to rewrite its Development Plan to build Housing on Greenfield Land.

The Welsh Government claims that the anticipated expansion of Cardiff cannot be accommodated by the speculative building of apartments in the south of the city.

This is intriguing because the ensuing fire fight has each body arguing the opposite position on one issue from another; Rodney says 'tell residents of Cardiff North you want to build houses on Greenfield' and the WAG 'you can't build an international business park on Greenfield land because it contradicts national policy'.

An interesting viewpoint on the part of the Assembly, they clearly seem prepared to rip up their own planning policy if it makes Cardiff bigger but aren't prepared to do the same to supposedly bring high paid jobs to the capital as part of what the Council considers a key part of its future development. The Council want the jobs but must assume the new jobs will be taken by perpetually young professionals living in soulless developments in Cardiff Bay, or that we can build suitable housing on existing brownfield land.

Now I'm not in favour of the Juction 33 development, I just find it odd that the two institutions are taking the opposite position on 2 different issues. If it were built, most of these so called 'high powered' jobs would likely be filled by moving existing staff, with little benefit to local people. I'm also far from convinced that the plans for a 'public transport hub' would be any more than diverting an existing bus route, making the site totally car dependent, causing traffic chaos and undermining National and Local policy to make new developments accessible in a post-carbon economy.

What is clear is that Cardiff, like other cities needs to refocus its housing provision towards more sustainable residents (families). I'm not saying people shouldn't live in apartments but it is clear we've seen huge over-provision with developments in Butetown. Can we fill this need within Brown field land? I'm not sure yet, but if that's what we need to do then we must accept that our communities will be more densely populated. Again, there is nothing necessarily wrong with that as it makes public transport and other amenities more economically viable, but we must make sure our communities are planned to have decent infrastructure and are pleasant places for children to be brought up in.