Circuit of Wales was never a golden goose
Carwyn Jones and his team have killed the golden goose, says Bryan D Prescott (Echo letters, June 29). What golden goose? Golden geese are a myth.
Where would the thousands of jobs come from that he has previously said would be generated by a race track? Perhaps he can point to a race track that employs, say more than 150 full-time employees.
The nature of race tracks is that they employ mostly part-time workers, on festival weekends that happen perhaps half a dozen times a year. Once the festival is over, the itinerant workers, burger bars, memorabilia salesmen, move on with their profits to other venues, and any part-time jobs come to an end after the clean-up.
What Ebbw Vale is desperate for are jobs to put bread on the table and shoes on the kids’ feet regularly, even if only on the minimum wage, for 52 weeks a year.
If the Circuit of Wales is such a brilliant venture the proponents should have no difficulties in raising the rest of the capital from the many entrepreneurs, to whom the sum needed is just a trifle, considering the number of billionaires in this country.
Why is it when a business is in public hands and making money it is soon practically given away? Sometimes even given benefits as well, such as the power industry. Ninety billions in benefits by 2020. Yet when it is a business the entrepreneurs won’t touch with a barge pole, the public are looked upon as a soft touch to provide the money.
And yes Nye Bevan is turning in his grave, for once he said, “The United Kingdom is an island made of coal surrounded by fish”. Where does that put us today, our fishing and coal industries deliberately destroyed by the outside influences of the EU? And who signed us into this mess? Ted Heath, Sir Alec Douglas-Home and Geoffrey Ripon.
Furthermore, where are the jobs, paper making, white goods, cars, furniture, mining, coal power stations, and many, many more, all now transferred to Eastern Europe propping up the former Soviet Bloc members, who are now running the European Union?
Bryan D Prescott also says the Circuit of Wales venture would generate tax revenue for Wales to build schools and hospitals. No chance, with the tax loopholes put in place by the corporations with the support of gullible governments, we will only see tax from those few PAYE captive employees who do not have the luxury of tax loopholes – and what will that amount to? Peanuts.
George Chelmis
Canton, Cardiff
City needs to keep Who Experience
I READ your letter from the Uefa president. He praised the city of Cardiff and Wales for putting on a fantastic show for the Champions League final. And I agree.
I was in the city and met people from Mexico and all over the world. They all wanted to know where Doctor Who lived and that they would come back to Wales to see Doctor Who and all the sights. They loved the Castle and stadium.
To consider closing the Doctor Who Experience would be a travesty. Surely this must not be allowed to happen. Why not combine the race track at Ebbw Vale with Doctor Who and an all-year-round entertainment centre.
Malcolm Robb
Llanishen, Cardiff
Nothing to do with the Assembly
YOUR correspondent WJ Evans (Echo letters, July 5) appears confused as to the status of the Welsh Office.
This is an organ of the Westminster government not the Assembly. And as such is the responsibility of Alun Cairns, his own constituency MP who was recently quoted in the Vale free newspaper opposing the devolution of passenger duty purely on party political grounds.
Mr RJ Press
Cross Inn, Llantrisant
Causing problems for other road users
With the leader of Cardiff council recently stating that the use of bus lanes was vital to the future movement of traffic for the future, and Cardiff council making millions of pounds fining motorists for using bus lanes, how is it possible for their hands-on company Cardiff Bus to park their buses in lines of up to six or seven buses on both sides of lower St Mary Street for hours at a time?
This means all other buses, Cardiff Bus, Stagecoach, coaches, taxis, lorries have to use the outer lane designed for all other traffic, causing at times huge delays to other motorists. It must be frustrating for all motorists who have to suffer this bus lane abuse, especially if they have also be victimised for traffic offences.
Geoff Cook
Barry
Let’s save green space in the Bay
Sadly Cardiff ranks low in the green spaces league table, with only 8% of our capital city comprising publicly accessible green open spaces.
One such green space is a small park in the Bay, now under very real threat from developers. This grassy spot with its trees and children’s playground will disappear if the port authorities get planning permission to build a block of high-rise luxury flats and shops here. There is no shortage of high-rise blocks being built in Cardiff, and the city has a superb shopping centre, and shopping arcades of character and charm.
But Cardiff is short of green areas. Like all city residents, the residents of the Bay know how valuable and necessary parks are to one’s well-being. They give us freedom and solace and simple enjoyment. Playing in the park is a vital part of urban childhood.
Do not let the developers rob the families in the Bay of their last green space.
Sign the online petition to Cardiff city council: #saveourbae
Jennifer Williams
Cardiff Bay
Blame the cuts
We are all obviously upset about the fire at Grenfell Tower in London.
While I agree the council must bear a lot of the responsibility for the cheap modifications carried out on this building, I think central government must take a lot of the blame for forcing councils to look for cheap alternatives because of the cuts force on them by central government.
We have all noticed the cutbacks our local council has had to make because of the stringent cuts in the money coming from government.
Colin Davies
Whitchurch, Cardiff
