CLEARLY this redstart can’t read!
I’m grateful to Mark Wilson for sending me the picture he took in Hafren Forest earlier this week.
He tells me the telegraph pole is full of old great spotted woodpecker holes and a pair of redstart have chosen an interesting one to nest in!
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WELL all the excitement of election night has come and gone again so I don’t want to dwell on the results as they’ve been covered extensively elsewhere.
Congratulations to those who won their seats and commiserations to those who didn’t.
There were a couple of moments that haven’t received coverage elsewhere that made me laugh though.
Having previously had a Lib Dem MP and AM (Lembit Opik and Mick Bates) we have regularly been accused of being a “Lib-Dem rag”.
On election night in The Flash Leisure Centre in Welshpool, one deflated Lib Dem party official couldn’t help having a dig at us after they’d lost the Montgomeryshire seat.
Two of our reporters and photographer heard her say to a colleague: “Huh! It’s no good talking to them, they’re a Tory paper.”
I don’t know how many times I have to say it, we do our best to remain apolitical and don’t take sides with political parties.
We do reserve the right to work with our elected politicians, as we have done in the past over issues like schools, a bypass for Newtown, hospital services and, as we are at present, the pylon and hub madness with MP Glyn Davies.
No doubt with Glyn as our MP and now Russell George as our Assembly Member here in Montgomeryshire we’re in for a few pointless jibes about us being a “Tory paper”. We’re not, but we’ll gladly work with them to improve our lot here in Mid Wales as they are our elected representatives.
Anyway, back to election night. The Lembit watchers among you will have noticed that Lembit was late for his slot as a TV pundit for the BBC when his car had a puncture.
He battled through and gave a good account of himself and, again, put on a brave face when he saw Montgomeryshire fall to the Conservatives.
He confirmed he was looking to stand as the Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of London.
TV presenter David Dimbleby thanked him for battling through to the studio and Lembit quipped: “It takes more than a burst tyre to stop a Lib Dem getting to the TV studio.”
Considering it was gone 4am after a heavy election night you’ve got to hand it to David Dimbleby who quickly responded: “I’m sure it does. I’m sure nothing would stop Lembit Opik from getting to a TV studio.”
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IT WAS good to hear Glyn Davies give the County Times campaign a mention in Parliament on Tuesday during a debate on windfarms. Thanks Glyn.