* The warmongers are at it. The Prime Minister and the Give War a Chance Party want UK troops in the Middle East war.

Two things hold them back. The PM was wounded in 2013 when the Commons refused to back his war against Assad. Now many fear our troops may end up dying for Assad’s enemy.

Yesterday’s allies are today’s enemies and vice versa. The current line up is Assad (Was Bad now Good), Kurds (Were Good now Bad), IS/Al Nusra Front (Bad), USA/Iraqi/Turks (Good) Iran (Were Bad now Good) and Syrian Druze (Were Good now Bad).

MPs still mourn the waste of lives in Iraq and Helmand caused by past blunders. Most MPs will refuse to order UK troops to risk their lives in a confused hell about hatreds that are ancient and alien.

* New government. New denial of information.

One word would have answered my question on which prisons are free of drugs use. Government said 81 prisons were drug free ‘for one month’ last year. ‘How many for one year?’ I asked. Only one, Blantyre House, they replied. It took a third question to discover that Blantyre was closed and had no prisoners for that year!

Our drugs laws have not stopped illegal drugs in any of our prisons. The Government are in denial. If they cannot keep drugs out of prisons, what hope of cutting their use anywhere else?

* Immigration is a mess and getting worse.

Newport has a rough deal. I asked David Cameron “Cardiff has 600, Newport 400, Rochdale 700—yet the constituencies of the PM, Chancellor and Home Secretary have a grand total of only three. Is this a fair and efficient way to locate asylum seekers?’

Lamely he replied “I will look very carefully at the points the hon. Gentleman makes”. Tory top MPs do not understand the strains that large numbers of migrants cause.

* ‘Good, it’s Herbie this year’. The Dean of Newport Cathedral said that’s the remark he hears throughout the city on this year’s Mayor.

Herbie Thomas and Jacquie Mitchell are two of the best loved servants of the people of Newport. Both have worked selflessly for decades in the Royal Gwent. They thoroughly deserve the chance of serving their home city as first citizens.

Good luck to you, Herbie and Jackie and to your charities,

Diabetes Cymru, Alzheimer’s Research and Madzimai Pamwe.