Plea to 'hurry up' Friars Walk development from Newport shop (From South Wales Argus)

how many years have we been told its going to go ahead, and here we are still talking about it,will it save the city i dont think so. people are now going to cwmbran, or spytty for there shopping or just 10 mins on the iron horse and you are in cardiff, a proper city,,,

Funny, I've never heard you busting out the iron horse cliche before. It never gets boring. Honestly!
Perhaps you should move to cardiff and leave the people who care about this town to try and generate a rare bit of positivity and try to make things better.

I'm referring to the ironically named portforever rather than the poor woman in the article who, more than anyone needs a bit of positivity.

I hope debenhams are still around next autumn.

Also as predictable are the 'Three Amigo's' who always give a typical aggressive response ending in "move to Cardiff" when a person is obviously unable due to lack of education to hold a meaningful debate, very sad and very predictable!

Broadswordan tell us about the many positive things have you done for the Newport in the last ten years, please? Also -

1) How often do you shop in Newport?
2) What have you done to attract people to Newport?
3) How many Businesses do you own/owned in Newport and what events have you run to attract people to Newport?
4 How much have you donated via time and Money to Newport's Music Centre that the Council now wants to close?
5) What have you done to make people aware that the Shops by Upper Dock Street are still open?
6) Why should people who Shop in Cwmbran, Spytty, Cardiff?

oh dear me, broadswordan seems a tad upset with me, he must think newport is a nice place to live, maybe he needs to get out a bit more, best way to make npt better would be to bulldoze it, hope thats positive enouth for you . npt is great if you want to get xxxxfaced or put marching powder up your hooter and thats about it really.just watch th bouncers series ,which sums the place up,,,

I'm worried Friars Walk will have as much impact as our fabulous renovation of the Kingsway Centre.

I'd really like Friars Walk to go ahead, i really want it to be a success, but it just seems to have been such a protracted farce that i'm not sure anything will ever come of it.

We really need Newport Council to step up and produce an attractive package for business to buy into Friars Walk and other parts of the town centre, we need more variety, more choice of quality and frankly, less coffee shops, beggars and sales people on the street.

It would be really refreshing for this paper to run a story on the friars walk development, explaining why it is such a lengthy process.
The problem is that people don't understand why it has and is taking so long. So why doesn't the paper do something towards informing the public of WHY?

For a start, the entire project died five years ago and has been recreated from scratch.

Then all the retail spaces and property which are being demolished have had to be compulsorily purchased...takes time!

Those business have had to relocate...takes time!

Big anchor stores. Next, Mothercare, Marks and Spencer's, Top shop etc are all having to get out of leases for their existing units as they don't want to sign a new ten year lease for the old ones. It's not a mistake that Next, Mothercare and Marks are in talks for securing new units in the new building...takes time!

It stands to reason that big shops can't sign up for the new build until their current leases run out.

Saint David's 2 in cardiff took about ten years in the planning, contracts, lease stage. So what's happening in Newport is not abnormal.

Because there is only negativity in this site and paper, everybody is extremely sceptical. If people new some of these points I have just mentioned, there would be more positivity.

The naysayers and sceptics are what's making Newport unpleasant. Every time the place tries to resurrect itself, it's down trodden again by the sickening pessimists who have no existence unless they're complaining.

Pull together or push off!

Oh, the marching powder one again Newportforever. How original, haven't read that one from you a hundred times before. Honest!

As for strider. Your huge list of things I am meant to have done to help Newport is very amusing and supports your non existent argument brilliantly...not! Are you suggesting that I should have saved Newport single handedly? Wow! Don't think even I could do that! But maybe if everybody started caring, and doing something to help, we would live in a better place.

broadsworddan wrote:
It would be really refreshing for this paper to run a story on the friars walk development, explaining why it is such a lengthy process.
The problem is that people don't understand why it has and is taking so long. So why doesn't the paper do something towards informing the public of WHY?

For a start, the entire project died five years ago and has been recreated from scratch.

Then all the retail spaces and property which are being demolished have had to be compulsorily purchased...takes time!

Those business have had to relocate...takes time!

Big anchor stores. Next, Mothercare, Marks and Spencer's, Top shop etc are all having to get out of leases for their existing units as they don't want to sign a new ten year lease for the old ones. It's not a mistake that Next, Mothercare and Marks are in talks for securing new units in the new building...takes time!

It stands to reason that big shops can't sign up for the new build until their current leases run out.

Saint David's 2 in cardiff took about ten years in the planning, contracts, lease stage. So what's happening in Newport is not abnormal.

Because there is only negativity in this site and paper, everybody is extremely sceptical. If people new some of these points I have just mentioned, there would be more positivity.

The naysayers and sceptics are what's making Newport unpleasant. Every time the place tries to resurrect itself, it's down trodden again by the sickening pessimists who have no existence unless they're complaining.

Pull together or push off!

Good post broadsworddan

I'm glad you cited the tv show bouncers. That was a really gritty hard hitting documentary which smacked of impartial journalism, honesty and integrity...or was it a load of cobblers made by a cynical fame hungry producer, backed by channel 4 who pulled their funding immediately after the first series because... it was a load of cobblers.

I never said Newport was perfect. But it could be so much better.

As for your moronic statement about bulldozing the city centre... Wow, what an interesting and intelligent thing to suggest.

Thank you LSB Bee.

am glad you agree with me that it is both interesting and intelligent.that we can agree on something. take the so called market that would make great social housing instead of the useless space it is now.bouncers was good as it showed the true npt . TIDY,,,,

Zzz

Blimey, now charities which drove many other bona-fide business way from the town centre is complaining they are being isolated too, what comes around etc.....

It,s not only the "town centre" that's at it's worst in anyone living's history,walking through Maindee square today with it,s four biggest shops all closed down amongst others there is nothing to go there for now.Except of course,for the usual chavs who come for the odd few of the more iffy pubs .It is more run down than town.:-(

broadsworddan wrote:
It would be really refreshing for this paper to run a story on the friars walk development, explaining why it is such a lengthy process.
The problem is that people don't understand why it has and is taking so long. So why doesn't the paper do something towards informing the public of WHY?

For a start, the entire project died five years ago and has been recreated from scratch.

Then all the retail spaces and property which are being demolished have had to be compulsorily purchased...takes time!

Those business have had to relocate...takes time!

Big anchor stores. Next, Mothercare, Marks and Spencer's, Top shop etc are all having to get out of leases for their existing units as they don't want to sign a new ten year lease for the old ones. It's not a mistake that Next, Mothercare and Marks are in talks for securing new units in the new building...takes time!

It stands to reason that big shops can't sign up for the new build until their current leases run out.

Saint David's 2 in cardiff took about ten years in the planning, contracts, lease stage. So what's happening in Newport is not abnormal.

Because there is only negativity in this site and paper, everybody is extremely sceptical. If people new some of these points I have just mentioned, there would be more positivity.

The naysayers and sceptics are what's making Newport unpleasant. Every time the place tries to resurrect itself, it's down trodden again by the sickening pessimists who have no existence unless they're complaining.

Pull together or push off!

What a load of fictio. For starters the Newport scheme started over 10 years ago, Al
so the Cardiff & Cwmbran developments started after Newports and those developments were completed yearsd ago. How strange the shops cannot sign up untill their current leases run out so the developers & councils have been telling potkiesd yet again as they have said they have clients signed up

broadsworddan wrote:
Zzz

OMG! Your run-on-sentence/ argument is so well thought out, amazingly in-depth and uncannily intuitive that I'm sure that no one will have the ignorance to disagree with you!

Bob, keep taking the medicine, please! You have either lapsed again, or, as is more likely the case, you haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about. The St David's 2 scheme was in the planning (not Town Planning) process for over ten years, whilst the Friars Walk scheme took far fewer years but was overtaken by the economic downturn. The main developer of SD2 is a FTSE 100 company, able to finance the scheme through its own resources, Friars Walk required bank funding, which was withdrawn. Try researching a few facts before you all too readily attempt to engage your brain. As for Friars Walk being conceived before the "Cwmbran development"...well, the mind boggles!!

Strider wrote:

broadsworddan wrote:
Zzz

OMG! Your run-on-sentence/ argument is so well thought out, amazingly in-depth and uncannily intuitive that I'm sure that no one will have the ignorance to disagree with you!

That's a long sentence for you strider. Did you read it in a book with pictures?

we must all listen to the font of all info better known as broadsworddan, what a load of old tosh, he lives in a fairy tail world, he is happy to flog the same old bullxxxx get real and wake up, we dont want shopping in the city centre anymore
just go over spytty and see the hordes of people,,open your tired eyes and go see.
dont know if you are lucky enouth to run a shop in newport but dont bother ,,,

CM1 wrote:
Bob, keep taking the medicine, please! You have either lapsed again, or, as is more likely the case, you haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about. The St David's 2 scheme was in the planning (not Town Planning) process for over ten years, whilst the Friars Walk scheme took far fewer years but was overtaken by the economic downturn. The main developer of SD2 is a FTSE 100 company, able to finance the scheme through its own resources, Friars Walk required bank funding, which was withdrawn. Try researching a few facts before you all too readily attempt to engage your brain. As for Friars Walk being conceived before the "Cwmbran development"...well, the mind boggles!!

The Newport Redevelopment commenced in 2002 and was in the planning stage prior to that. It was due to be complete before the current recession so you are talking fiction
The company managing the Friar walk scheme is not a FTSE company at all

CM1 wrote:
Bob, keep taking the medicine, please! You have either lapsed again, or, as is more likely the case, you haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about. The St David's 2 scheme was in the planning (not Town Planning) process for over ten years, whilst the Friars Walk scheme took far fewer years but was overtaken by the economic downturn. The main developer of SD2 is a FTSE 100 company, able to finance the scheme through its own resources, Friars Walk required bank funding, which was withdrawn. Try researching a few facts before you all too readily attempt to engage your brain. As for Friars Walk being conceived before the "Cwmbran development"...well, the mind boggles!!

The Newport Redevelopment commenced in 2002 and was in the planning stage prior to that. It was due to be complete before the current recession so you are talking fiction
The company managing the Friar walk scheme is not a FTSE company at all

i will probably be long gone before any DECENT shops come here!!! i dread what its going to be like when my now 5 year old grandaughter is alot older!!!

portforever wrote:
we must all listen to the font of all info better known as broadsworddan, what a load of old tosh, he lives in a fairy tail world, he is happy to flog the same old bullxxxx get real and wake up, we dont want shopping in the city centre anymore
just go over spytty and see the hordes of people,,open your tired eyes and go see.
dont know if you are lucky enouth to run a shop in newport but dont bother ,,,

No. maybe we should all listen to your inane rants. They're quite amusing. Got shares over spytty have you?

Don't worry, your precious spytty will still survive after the friars walk is built.

Bobevans wrote:

CM1 wrote:
Bob, keep taking the medicine, please! You have either lapsed again, or, as is more likely the case, you haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about. The St David's 2 scheme was in the planning (not Town Planning) process for over ten years, whilst the Friars Walk scheme took far fewer years but was overtaken by the economic downturn. The main developer of SD2 is a FTSE 100 company, able to finance the scheme through its own resources, Friars Walk required bank funding, which was withdrawn. Try researching a few facts before you all too readily attempt to engage your brain. As for Friars Walk being conceived before the "Cwmbran development"...well, the mind boggles!!

The Newport Redevelopment commenced in 2002 and was in the planning stage prior to that. It was due to be complete before the current recession so you are talking fiction
The company managing the Friar walk scheme is not a FTSE company at all

Bob, do us all a favor and only click the 'submit' button once because however inane, oops sorry I meant 'interesting' your posts are we don't want to read them twice.

Another thing you could do which would be a great help, Bob, would be to read and understand other peoples posts e.g CM1's last post, you replied 'The company managing the Friar walk scheme is not a FTSE company at all' Wherein in fact CM1 said Friars Walk was bank funded but SD2's main developer is a FTSE100 company. You are trying, oops sorry I meant keep trying, Bob.

got shares in many things thank you, but spytty is not one of them, my johnsey would not sell me any, her indoors just back from there, packed full of happy shoppers, unlike the tumbleweed in the high street, TIDY,,RIP THE HIGH STREET ,,,,

Friars walk could be finished by next year, but I very much doubt it. The usual start of the project, then the cost escalates, so it stops and the Council have to meet to make a decision on a cheaper version. May be lucky and have a Tarmac square with a French style market, surrounded by debris and boarded up shops.

People just listen to yourselve, seriously Newport is just going through an unforunate time that every city goes through at some point. let us not not forget that Recession started the main bulk of this mess Newport is in and also developer Modus that was resposeble for the original Friars walk and Cambrian center but then came up with the clever idea to go into administration there for taking the two massive projects with them. not cool and not clever. :(

oh yeah and there is no point in praising cardiff for anything as I do remember it is that capital that has also stopped Newport from benefitting in the past. at one point there were preposals to build and airport on llanwern just over a decade ago now, would have been nice until CARDIFF had a hissy fit over us having one so it was stopped, and Newport lost out.

Not long after Newport wanted to have a simple barrage so to control the river frlowing through the city but for some unkown reason Cardiff stood froward and would not let us have one, why is still an unknown mystery alot of people. These are a couple of things that have been forgotten about.

The most recsent one is the Ebbw Vale train link that was meant to have travelled through rogerstone Pye corner and veered off into Newport and then onward to Cardiff but did any of that hapen? no Cardiff had it so it went to them instead and put a block on it from going to Newport. We are now suffernig from the afon village platform which only goes to Ebbw Vale and Cardiff, yes there is the Rogerstone shuttle bus but unfortunatly people don't seem to know it exists.

Sorry about the rant at Cardiff people but I have heard so much rubbish coming from that capital and being thrown at Newport and helping to slate us rather than help us like any real Capital would, it is just hurtful and bringing alot of people down,

Cardiff along with the First minister for Wales seem to have forgotten about the massive duty that is given to any city that is to become a capital and run it's country, it's disgraceful.

Again I am sorry for the massive rant at Cardiff and for any affense it may have caused I like Cardiff as genreral city and would love to be proud of it as a capital but not in the way it is all for it's self and not so much for the one that need it's help.

also the Labour council for Newport need to shape them selves up aswell and for crying out loud lower the rent on all of the city buildings it's rediculously high.

On the up side I cannot wait for the Friars Walk and new Cambrian Centre with Admril to go up, seen the detailed designs they look awesonme. Just gotto hurry up and get them up there before anything else goes wrong. :)

foxy3rd wrote:
It,s not only the "town centre" that's at it's worst in anyone living's history,walking through Maindee square today with it,s four biggest shops all closed down amongst others there is nothing to go there for now.Except of course,for the usual chavs who come for the odd few of the more iffy pubs .It is more run down than town.:-(

It's a dead zone nothing there at all now. We have to travel to town for even the very basics of food now. that is what is left in town. The only growth area in Newport is booze. I was walking to the shop and passed rubbish left out,near all of the bins are full of bottles and cans, so we know what locals did for xmas. The local offy stacked ceiling to floor with even more ready for New Year, convenience stores they call them, yep convenient of you are the local alcoholic..

broadsworddan wrote:

Strider wrote:

broadsworddan wrote:
Zzz

OMG! Your run-on-sentence/ argument is so well thought out, amazingly in-depth and uncannily intuitive that I'm sure that no one will have the ignorance to disagree with you!

That's a long sentence for you strider. Did you read it in a book with pictures?

ZZZZzz

broadsworddan wrote:
It would be really refreshing for this paper to run a story on the friars walk development, explaining why it is such a lengthy process.
The problem is that people don't understand why it has and is taking so long. So why doesn't the paper do something towards informing the public of WHY?

For a start, the entire project died five years ago and has been recreated from scratch.

Then all the retail spaces and property which are being demolished have had to be compulsorily purchased...takes time!

Those business have had to relocate...takes time!

Big anchor stores. Next, Mothercare, Marks and Spencer's, Top shop etc are all having to get out of leases for their existing units as they don't want to sign a new ten year lease for the old ones. It's not a mistake that Next, Mothercare and Marks are in talks for securing new units in the new building...takes time!

It stands to reason that big shops can't sign up for the new build until their current leases run out.

Saint David's 2 in cardiff took about ten years in the planning, contracts, lease stage. So what's happening in Newport is not abnormal.

Because there is only negativity in this site and paper, everybody is extremely sceptical. If people new some of these points I have just mentioned, there would be more positivity.

The naysayers and sceptics are what's making Newport unpleasant. Every time the place tries to resurrect itself, it's down trodden again by the sickening pessimists who have no existence unless they're complaining.

Pull together or push off!

Your spelling and Grammar are astounding, astoundingly retarded!

I finally understand why Mr Ward is forced to remove comments and lock so many threads..

I won't be returning here as I'm sick of how every thread is derailed by Internet Rambo's like Broadsworddan arguing about who has the biggest E Penis on a Internet forum.. And try not to cut your wrists:-) If the Regeneration doesn't go ahead!!

When Broadsworddan reaches puberty maybe Mummy can buy him a life!!

I realise I'm just as guilty for feeding a Troll in this case

Bob, you are a card. The developers received planning permission for SD2 in around 2003, the scheme being conceived many years before that. Modus was selected to develop Friars Walk around 2005, the Compulsory Purchase Order confirmed around 2006 and planning permission around 2007. The recession in the commercial property market was well underway by late 2007, whilst the Friars Walk development would have taken a number of years to complete, after the CPO acquisitions had been completed.

Howie, it is just a little tiresome but, well, Bob is just, Bob; he lives in his very own little universe but unfortunately feels it necessary to subject others to his lack of knowledge.

Bobevans says...
11:43am Fri 28 Dec 12

"The Newport Redevelopment commenced in 2002 and was in the planning stage prior to that. It was due to be complete before the current recession so you are talking fiction
The company managing the Friar walk scheme is not a FTSE company at all"

No, no, no, no.

Much earlier than that.

There was a man called Brian Adcock and he was called the Town Development Officer, I think.

He was going to bring in Debenhams, as a case in point, and the company that was going to do the development was called Regalian Properties.

I remember asking him from the floor of a meeting, held in the Newport Centre, probably about 1988, why they were not going to build the then yet to be built "new" bus station near to the railway station. Basically, he said that Regalian Properties would not like it, because that would mean shifting the effective town centre away from the river.

I'd like to see the bus station dismantled for good, a park created there with continental-style cafeterias and bars with a wide walkway over the roads to the riverside where pontoons are put on the USK and a small marina. We would have to flood the Usk at some point but a worthwhile investment I think we can look AWAY from the defunct town centre and look a bit civilised in the process.... Assuming we can ban anyone with a baseball cap on and doesn't go around begging with a dog in tow.

Unfortunately Mervyn any Cafeterias would probably be owned by Iffy, seeing the Councils love affair with him..

This was posted on notgwents website

NEW M&S STORE TO OPEN ON JANUARY 17

Dec 24 - Newport's new Marks and Spencer store at the Retail Park in Spytty will open its doors on January 17. The city centre will close on January 16 with all stock there being sold off.

Elsewhere in the retail park Gap outlet, H&M, Bank Fashion, Costa Coffee, Claire's Accessories, J-D Sports, the Perfume Shop and Carphone Warehouse will all take up stores. Pizza Express will occupy the current Carphone Warehouse unit and the restaurant site near McDonalds has been confirmed as a proposed Harvester rather than Nando's restaurant. Stores such as Tesco, Next, Asda Living, New Look, Outfit, Boots and Peacocks already trade there. Existing restaurant outlets include Frankie and Benny's and Pizza Hut.

I count 45 have closed in Newport since 2010 and 4 have opened namely Costa Coffee and a few fake Chav clothing shops in the Inshops.. 5 Charity shops have opened but the Barnado's that was Bewise closed on December 23 sighting they weren't making any money..

broadsworddan wrote:
It would be really refreshing for this paper to run a story on the friars walk development, explaining why it is such a lengthy process. The problem is that people don't understand why it has and is taking so long. So why doesn't the paper do something towards informing the public of WHY? For a start, the entire project died five years ago and has been recreated from scratch. Then all the retail spaces and property which are being demolished have had to be compulsorily purchased...takes time! Those business have had to relocate...takes time! Big anchor stores. Next, Mothercare, Marks and Spencer's, Top shop etc are all having to get out of leases for their existing units as they don't want to sign a new ten year lease for the old ones. It's not a mistake that Next, Mothercare and Marks are in talks for securing new units in the new building...takes time! It stands to reason that big shops can't sign up for the new build until their current leases run out. Saint David's 2 in cardiff took about ten years in the planning, contracts, lease stage. So what's happening in Newport is not abnormal. Because there is only negativity in this site and paper, everybody is extremely sceptical. If people new some of these points I have just mentioned, there would be more positivity. The naysayers and sceptics are what's making Newport unpleasant. Every time the place tries to resurrect itself, it's down trodden again by the sickening pessimists who have no existence unless they're complaining. Pull together or push off!

Good point.
There may be room for a smaller M&S in the centre if a new more attractive unit becomes available in the future.

Strider wrote:
I finally understand why Mr Ward is forced to remove comments and lock so many threads..

I won't be returning here as I'm sick of how every thread is derailed by Internet Rambo's like Broadsworddan arguing about who has the biggest E Penis on a Internet forum.. And try not to cut your wrists:-) If the Regeneration doesn't go ahead!!

When Broadsworddan reaches puberty maybe Mummy can buy him a life!!

I realise I'm just as guilty for feeding a Troll in this case

It's good to hear that you won't be coming back onto this forum because you've been nothing but aggressive and offensive to anyone who has a different view to you. Good riddance!

Bobevans wrote:

broadsworddan wrote:
It would be really refreshing for this paper to run a story on the friars walk development, explaining why it is such a lengthy process.
The problem is that people don't understand why it has and is taking so long. So why doesn't the paper do something towards informing the public of WHY?

For a start, the entire project died five years ago and has been recreated from scratch.

Then all the retail spaces and property which are being demolished have had to be compulsorily purchased...takes time!

Those business have had to relocate...takes time!

Big anchor stores. Next, Mothercare, Marks and Spencer's, Top shop etc are all having to get out of leases for their existing units as they don't want to sign a new ten year lease for the old ones. It's not a mistake that Next, Mothercare and Marks are in talks for securing new units in the new building...takes time!

It stands to reason that big shops can't sign up for the new build until their current leases run out.

Saint David's 2 in cardiff took about ten years in the planning, contracts, lease stage. So what's happening in Newport is not abnormal.

Because there is only negativity in this site and paper, everybody is extremely sceptical. If people new some of these points I have just mentioned, there would be more positivity.

The naysayers and sceptics are what's making Newport unpleasant. Every time the place tries to resurrect itself, it's down trodden again by the sickening pessimists who have no existence unless they're complaining.

Pull together or push off!

What a load of fictio. For starters the Newport scheme started over 10 years ago, Al
so the Cardiff & Cwmbran developments started after Newports and those developments were completed yearsd ago. How strange the shops cannot sign up untill their current leases run out so the developers & councils have been telling potkiesd yet again as they have said they have clients signed up

Bob. A few years back I had a flavour of how the elected councillors operate. They will have a series of meetings (must have buffets and other little extras). Then some bright spark will suggest they form a working party. Then there will be scoping - that's having a jolly to somewhere else on expenses. Then the scoping will report back to the working party who will suggest that a committee. It set up. After phaffing around in a series of meetings and more free buffets, they'll need sub-committees to be formed and then report back. Before you know it 5 years has gone by and nothing has been done, so to make a gesture they'll build another wave for another £20k. They have 'Labour' next to their name on the ballot paper and so the sheep in the area will vote the same failures in again. Very negative I know, but look at the shambles of a city centre and tell me I am not too far away from the truth. It is unfair to compare it with Cardiff because they have achieved massively in comparison.

The Labour Party control Cardiff as well as Newport. How do you reconcile that with the sheep you're talking about above? I expect they're Cardiff sheep though and that makes them different.

i been to newport 4 months ago mmmm dump

D Taylor wrote:
The Labour Party control Cardiff as well as Newport. How do you reconcile that with the sheep you're talking about above? I expect they're Cardiff sheep though and that makes them different.

No problem voting officials back in if they are achievers. There are Newport councillors, past and present, who should hang their heads in shame.

D Taylor wrote:
The Labour Party control Cardiff as well as Newport. How do you reconcile that with the sheep you're talking about above? I expect they're Cardiff sheep though and that makes them different.

I don't consider myself any sheep, but if left with a stark choice Labour or Tory it's a no-brainer. We vote as we do to keep Tories out of wales, not because we copy our grandad's stance or habit. Tories would destroy Wales if in charge. That they can still create havoc here with no following of note shows we need out of the 'UK' too like Scotland. Sadly there is little other valid opposition it is still us or them, we got a coaltion and that is even worse. We need consensus not coalitions that elect themselves and follow an agenda nobody voted for. Liberals will be extinct after the next election, but I'd rather tories were.

A lot of argument on the detail here - but a broader question for debate - should we not just close Newport? It surely has outlived its shelf life. As a (thankfully) former resident and now a frequent visitor to Newport I can genuinely say that I cannot think of one redeeming feature it has to offer. Let's make it a suburb of Cardiff and turn the broken town centre into a park.

broken but it can be fixed , sounds like you are not a loss to our fine city, we only want people to live here who think the city can turn things around. not people like carrot,,,,

Portforever - Singapore is a fine city, as is Sydney, and perhaps also Wellington in NZ. Closer to home, Edinburgh is also up there but Newport? Newport is a blight on the landscape of a beautiful country; face up to it and you might see that becoming an annex of Cardiff is actually a great idea. Or may be a merger of the two: Carport?

Also my name is Carrot's - not Carrot.

carrot,, hope you are right about singarpore going there in march so will be able to judge then, carport got a ring to it through,,,, dont know what the answer is for npt maybe you got a point,,,

Mervyn James wrote:

D Taylor wrote:
The Labour Party control Cardiff as well as Newport. How do you reconcile that with the sheep you're talking about above? I expect they're Cardiff sheep though and that makes them different.

I don't consider myself any sheep, but if left with a stark choice Labour or Tory it's a no-brainer. We vote as we do to keep Tories out of wales, not because we copy our grandad's stance or habit. Tories would destroy Wales if in charge. That they can still create havoc here with no following of note shows we need out of the 'UK' too like Scotland. Sadly there is little other valid opposition it is still us or them, we got a coaltion and that is even worse. We need consensus not coalitions that elect themselves and follow an agenda nobody voted for. Liberals will be extinct after the next election, but I'd rather tories were.

I suggest you look at UKIP's manifesto. It is about the only sensible one

It wants out of the EU. Controls on migration. A tightening up of benefits to cut out fraud

It will impliment legislation to be able to recall your MP in certain instances sucxh as expensive fraud or criminal actifity or lyinmg to the electorate

portforever wrote:
carrot,, hope you are right about singarpore going there in march so will be able to judge then, carport got a ring to it through,,,, dont know what the answer is for npt maybe you got a point,,,

Singerpore is not perfect but you will not find litter or drunks or much crime there

Bobevans wrote:

Mervyn James wrote:

D Taylor wrote:
The Labour Party control Cardiff as well as Newport. How do you reconcile that with the sheep you're talking about above? I expect they're Cardiff sheep though and that makes them different.

I don't consider myself any sheep, but if left with a stark choice Labour or Tory it's a no-brainer. We vote as we do to keep Tories out of wales, not because we copy our grandad's stance or habit. Tories would destroy Wales if in charge. That they can still create havoc here with no following of note shows we need out of the 'UK' too like Scotland. Sadly there is little other valid opposition it is still us or them, we got a coaltion and that is even worse. We need consensus not coalitions that elect themselves and follow an agenda nobody voted for. Liberals will be extinct after the next election, but I'd rather tories were.

I suggest you look at UKIP's manifesto. It is about the only sensible one

It wants out of the EU. Controls on migration. A tightening up of benefits to cut out fraud

It will impliment legislation to be able to recall your MP in certain instances sucxh as expensive fraud or criminal actifity or lyinmg to the electorate

It's hardly sensible to support leaving the EU if you live in Wales. We rely too much on employment provided by foreign companies. The biggest private sector employer in Wales is Airbus.

Anti-EU policies are the stuff of South East of England politics where they feel threatened by proposed EU requlation of the financial services industry on which they heavily depend.

A vote for UKIP is sadly a vote for right wing tories as well or I'd go for it. Last thing I want is ANOTHER coalition with the tories still in charge. Devil and the deep blue sea, we get subjugated by the English Tories or, the European federalists not much of a choice is it ? Frankly the Europeans are too stupid to run anything, it's just Germanany trying to rule without panzers. The European regulations are for Europeans, as we are neither in nor out of the federal conspiracy that Europe is. As they say, better out than in ! we had a world market before being dependent for half of trade on the dubious European community which picks and chooses which laws THEY go with, but insist we can't. Not so long ago Bosnia and Serbia,t he place is an hot bed of unreliability and in-fighting. we must have been stupid to sign up in the first place.