Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Llandeilo-based brewer Simon Buckley (Evan-Evans Group) has written the following letter to newspapers in Wales -  Should we believe in Welsh Government?   On June 5-7, The Millennium Stadium hosted one of the most important drinks events in the Welsh drinks industry calendar. The new ‘W-Ales Beer Festival’ was a superb showcase for everything that is good and great in the Welsh brewing industry, but where were our politicians? Alun Davies has made much about driving an identity for the Welsh drinks Industry, but not one of the ministers responsible for Food or Drink came to wave the flag at this prestigious event. Kirsty Williams, William Powell and Byron Davies were all seen to support the event, but not a sign of the Plaid AMs, nor the army of Labour AMs who have brewers in their constituencies. Jeff Cuthbert, who ran the cross-party beer group came and supported the event, but he now has no say in our industry’s future. In reality, the ministers, wheth...

Letter submitted to the editors of the Llanelli Star and Carmarthen Journal today -  The Llanelli Star must be praised for fighting the good fight in the bid to preserve services at Llanelli’s Prince Philip Hospital. The coverage of the debate has been comprehensive and fair. The editor will forgive me for making an observation (rather than a complaint): perhaps more focus could be placed on the members of the Hywel Dda Health Board – photos, pen pictures and perhaps home phone numbers might be useful. The membership of the ‘independent’ part of the health board contains a fairly predictable mix of ‘time-served’ civil and public servants who (one suspects) receive compensation for duties which more than covers out-of-pocket expenses. Only one of the ‘independents’ has any sort of real affinity with Llanelli, the vice-chair Sian Marie James. It is a pity that in much of the debate we don’t seem to have heard many public statements from the vice-chair on the debate. A read through th...

Had a letter published in the Carmarthen Journal last week re the continuing debate about Carmarthenshire News - the county council and local service board's regular newsletter. Not all of it made it into print. Here is the 'unedited' version -  It was interesting to read the ‘War of Words’ story about the costs of Carmarthenshire County Council’s Carmarthenshire News ‘news-sheet’on Page 9 of the Journal (August 22). My eyebrows went up higher than a Roger Moore impersonator when I read that the council had not retained all back editions for the last five years – and it hadn’t recorded the cost of individual adverts. Perhaps this is an indication of the manner in which the council has used the newsletter as a ‘toy train-set plaything’. Having some experience of running newspapers and newsletters, I know that in the ‘real world’ of newspaper budgets it was always considered proper to keep records of such matters. Like Carmarthen East and Dinefwr AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas, I a...