Letters sent to various newspapers on this (and similar) issue (updated as often as poss) Letters

cheeky mersey bastards
	Landfill firm's £5.5m legal claim Local people have staged protests at the quarry site at Johnstown Wrexham Council is being sued for more than £5.5m by the operators of a controversial landfill site which deals with waste from Merseyside. The owner of Hafod Quarry has said it was because the council has prevented it from quarrying certain minerals. Wrexham Council said it was seeking legal advice. The claim has been lodged by solicitors acting for Liverpool-based Mersey Waste Holdings, which began tipping waste at the quarry a year ago. Planning permission to use the site for landfill had been granted 11 years ago but a campaign was fought to stop it opening. In September last year protesters lost a battle to close the landfill site at Johnstown. They had urged councillors to revoke the tip's planning permission to protect an adjoining conservation site. 'Legal advice' Members of the council's executive board were told on Tuesday that the compensation claim arose from a planning committee decision last September to review old minerals planning permission at the site. Mersey Waste Holdings' lawyers have also indicated that a further claim for compensation was being considered. Rob Allan, managing director of MWH Associates Ltd, said: "The claim is in respect of valuable minerals which can no longer be quarried due to the designation of part of the site as an SAC (Special Area of Conservation) and the resultant changes to the minerals planning permission. "The value of the materials sterilised has been independently assessed by consultants but as yet at this early stage we have not had a response from Wrexham County Borough Council." A council spokeswoman said "immediate steps" had been taken to get legal advice. "Once received this advice will need to be carefully considered," she added.

HORROR STORY
	'New town' concept for Flintshire Alex Aldridge has called for a 'summit' over future housing A plan to build a new town to meet Flintshire's housing needs has been suggested by a former council leader. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/6923123.stm BC SAYS - this is blatant plantation

	BC Spokesman Adam Phillips was fined £80 yesterday for taking part in a "Halloween mask " Protest on Sat 21 Oct Adam will be the ONLY protestor to have been dealt with under the "Section 5 public order " offence He is taking legal advive as to the options of fighting this in court!

	Could you all take a few minutes to fill in the objection form at the link below: http://cymuned.net/blogsaesneg/?page_id=93 Debighshire council have massive plans to develope the whole county through new legislation that has allowed them to change from an LDP to a UDP. This essentially means that land previously set aside for employment use can now be used for residential developments. This means thousands of new houses, none of them affordable for local people. The plans cover areas such as Llangollen, Corwen Rhyl and Prestatyn and will have a devastating impact on those communities. This is part of a wider plan to re populate North Wales to make it a dormatory region for the North West of England ,connecting Flintshire and Wrecsam with Conwy. In the next 15 years they intend to double the population in these areas, there are still parts of Denbighshire that are 52 % Welsh speaking, obviously this will be desemated. If you do not live in Denbighshire you can still object on the basis that developments such as this have a negative effect on our culture, our services, language and national identity etc. At this stage consideration will be given to the objections raised by people. I would urge you to fill in the form and also pass it on to as many people as you can think of. By doing this you will become part of a growing network that we are trying to get off the ground ,able to object to plans such as these accross the country. Further information about the specifics of UDP plans can be found at http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk:80/

	Protesters 'asked to leave pipe' The protesters have been asked to leave the site A protest which has held up work on a 150-mile (241 km) gas pipeline is set to end after the landowner said she had asked the protesters to leave. A group moved onto the National Grid construction site in Pontardawe, Swansea Valley, on Monday and spent the night inside a pipe. They had received permission to be on the land from the owner Eira Wyn Jones. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6148854.stm bc -the old bill can be quite persuasive at times!, wonder how long they spent "negotiating" with Mrs Wyn Jones?

	Protesters stop gas pipeline work Protesters have occupied machinery at the site and the pipeline itself Protesters who have occupied a section of a huge natural gas pipeline being laid from Milford Haven to England say they aim to stay "for the long haul". Around 14 people are inside the pipe at Trebanos in the Swansea Valley and another is occupying a crane. The pipeline will carry gas from two liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Milford Haven to Gloucestershire and supply a fifth of Britain's gas. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6144022.stm

	Here we go - the first of many schemes that we will have absolutely NO say in! this was passed despite very strong opposition, and this will have given the green light to all the other projects they have up their sleeves! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/6125692.stm Extra height on dam is approved Dinorwig Power Station is built inside the mountain An electricity company has been given permission to raise the height of a dam which feeds a hydro-electricity plant in Snowdonia. First Hydro wants to raise the Marchlyn Mawr dam by 2.5m (8ft 3in) to increase the amount of water it can store.

	They will NEVER give us the right to control our OWN destiny - how dare they say the English MUST retain control over OUR water!!!!    "The National Farmers Union demanded that a "national grid" for water be set up, admitting that what this really meant was to transfer water from Wales to south east England.  It has  also been revealed that in the Wales Bill, currently going through Parliament, Welsh Secretary Peter Hain has written in a clause making sure that the Welsh Assembly will not have control over Wales's water resources. Control will stay in London"

another outrage
	Want water? Move to Wales, says minister http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23370947-details/Want+water+Move+to+Wales,+says+minister/article.do

	Area 'does not benefit from local oil taxes' Oct 12 2006 Tomos Livingstone, Western Mail   JUST two companies in Pembrokeshire are generating nearly £7m a day in tax, yet the area suffers from second-class services, it was warned yesterday. A Tory MP said despite the tax returns the Government receives, Pembrokeshire's main hospital is threatened with cuts and most people cannot get NHS dental treatment. http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/newspolitics/tm_headline=area-%2Ddoes-not-benefit-from-local-oil-taxes%2D%26method=full%26objectid=17915934%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

Bit off topic - but without control we have nothing!
	'Assembly laws shouldn't be blocked by MPs' Oct 18 2006 Western Mail   Westminster should keep its nose out of legislation proposed by the National Assembly when new arrangements kick in next May, Dafydd Elis-Thomas has warned. He says that once the Assembly in Cardiff agrees on proposals for new laws, then MPs in London should not be able to hold a veto. http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/newspolitics/tm_headline=%2Dassembly-laws-shouldn%2Dt-be-blocked-by-mps%2D%26method=full%26objectid=17949811%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

	Green MEP brands Thames Water leakage failure as 'shameful' 21st Jun 2006 Jean Lambert hopes to 'see more investment in our water system and not the pockets of Thames Water Directors' As Thames Water announces today that it has missed its leakage reduction target for the third year running, London's Green MEP, Jean Lambert, has branded the failure as 'shameful'.http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2589

	Another reason to push for OUR OWN laws Protest against LNG land purchase The first phase of construction is well under way Campaigners will try to stop the National Grid forcibly buying land for a gas pipeline that will span the breadth of Wales. Opponents of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipe from Pembrokeshire to Gloucestershire have set up a group called Safe Haven Network. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/5069038.stm

English Farmers want WELSH water
	Farming union call for 'national water grid' May 24 2006 Western Mail   Farming leaders have called for a new 'national grid' for water to be set up to transfer water from Wales to drought-hit parts of England. The National Farmers Union (NFU) say the water shortages that have affected large parts of southern England could be easily avoided by having a national network linking the whole of the UK. But the NFU's head of policy services Andrew Clark admitted the plan would effectively mean depleting Welsh water supplies to add to England's. And the call yesterday infuriated Welsh nationalists who said it evoked memories of the controversial drowning of the North Wales valley of Tryweryn in 1965 to supply Liverpool with water. http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=17122381%26method=full%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

pen your thoughts on the pages on this site - follow the link
	http://www.freewebs.com/eryrgwyn/whatsyouroppinion.htm RESOURCE WARS RESOURCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS RESOUCE WARS................................

	Ddim Dyferyn Mwy!   Dyma 'den i yn dweud wrth y rhai sydd yn benderfynol i foddi mwy  o dir Cymru er Lles y saeson  Not A Drop More! This is what we say to those wanting to expand  on our already numerous reservoirs The dams, reservoirs, and 73 mile aqueduct of the ElanValley waterworks in mid-Wales were built a hundred years ago to supply desperately needed clean water to the city of Birmingham in the English midlands.  http://history.powys.org.uk/history/rhayader/elanmenu.html

"Water will be more important than oil this century," says the former UN Secretary
	Talking Point: Ask Boutros Boutros Ghali Former United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali took your questions on water in our phone-in programme Talking Point. WATCH NOW In 1985 Dr Boutros Ghali famously said that "the next war in the Middle East will be fought over water, not politics". He has since said that conflicts over water in key hotspots throughout the Middle East can be resolved through the creation of a dedicated international monitoring organisation. But he has also warned that future population growth will continue to put further strain on water supplies, creating the potential for further disputes.

The water debate
	http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/2003/world_forum/water/default.stm

View this clip of the historical moment the Free Wales Army went public
	http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/walesonair/database/march.shtml

Bit of a recuring theme now-
	The Lost Valleys by Betty Davies As I look down at the vast tracks of water that are the dams of the Elan Valley, I cannot help but wonder how my great grandparents felt when told they had lost the fight to save the valleys of Nant Gwilt and Cwm Elan. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/capturewales/transcripts/betty-davies.shtml

	The Elan Valley dams Memories of the lost valleys http://history.powys.org.uk/history/rhayader/elanmenu.html

Supersize me!

Villages and Comunities lost forever
	They take our heritage History and Floklore away-Once its gone its gone!  Before the valley at Vyrnwy was flooded a large stone called "careg yr yspryd" (the ghost stone) had to be removed. This caused some concern by the locals as the local legendary hero Dic Spot, was supposed to have trapped a mischeivious goblin, called Yspryd Cynon (Cynons Ghost) in the quill of a pen and placed this under the said stone for safety. When the stone was dynamited a large toad was said to have emerged. Part of the Village of Llanwddyn before submersion

Clywedog
	A reservoir was built in the Clywedog valley, near Llanidloes, Powys to supply water for the City of Birmingham. On 31 July 1963 the Clywedog Bill was given the Royal Assent, and building work began. By drowning the Clywedog valley 615 acres of agricultural land would be lost and three farms drowned. Opposition to the plan to build the reservoir in the valley grew among local inhabitants. The campaign against the drowning of the valley was led by members of Plaid Cymru. In April 1963 the Clywedog sub-committee met for the first time to discuss what could be done to save the valley from drowning. The committee included J. W. Meredydd, Arthur Thomas, Islwyn Ffowc Ellis, Elystan Morgan and Elwyn Roberts On 6 March 1966 a bomb exploded on the site of the reservoir and it was suspected that there was a connection with 'MAC' (Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru), a group of political extremists under the leadership of John Barnard Jenkins. The bomb caused £36,000 worth of damage, and six weeks of work was lost. 'MAC' was also responsible for placing bombs at the Temple of Peace in 1968, and in Abergele on the morning of the investiture of Prince Charles, when Arwel Jones and George Taylor were killed by their own bomb. full story http://www.llgc.org.uk/ymgyrchu/Dwr/CLywedog/index-e.htm

Llyn Celyn / Cwm Tryweryn
	Chwalfa Tryweryn Yn 1955 penderfynodd aelodau o Gyngor Dinas Lerpwl eu bod am foddi Cwm Tryweryn ger y Bala er mwyn cyflenwi dŵr i'r ddinas. Er gwaethaf protestio ffyrnig yn lleol a thrwy Gymru, dros gyfnod o 10 mlynedd fe wagwyd y cwm, fe adeiladwyd yr argae, fe adawodd y trigolion eu tai ac yna, yn 1965, fe ddaeth y dŵr. For All the protests - Liverpool City Council Flooded this village http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/gogleddorllewin/hanes/indextryweryn.shtml

Letters
	A Welsh resource SIR - EB Hughes's letter (Blind to water theft, June 6) mentioned the clause in the Government of Wales Bill regarding Welsh water supply. There is a clause that worryingly states that Westminster can intervene if any proposed Assembly Measure (post-2007) or Assembly Act (post-successful referendum) affects the supply or quality of water in England. Why on earth should politicians based in London decide on the future of such an important Welsh resource? We are already seeing water shortages in the south-east of England; it is perfectly possible under this clause for Westminster to decide that another Tryweryn is needed- just to fulfil the needs of an economically prosperous region of our neighbouring country, regardless of the opinion of the people of Wales, and even our Assembly. This is not only an example of the severe limitations of the present Government of Wales Bill, but also shows where the priorities of our political parties lie. No matter what the politicians say to audiences in Wales, all three of the London-based parties - New Labour, Tories and the Lib-Dems - voted against the Plaid Cymru amendment in the House of Commons to get rid of this clause. Don't be fooled by their attempts to sell themselves as representing anything other than the interests England, no matter the cost to Wales. Only Plaid put the interests of Wales first, and are fighting to get rid of this unnecessary and demeaning clause. NERYS EVANS Plaid Cymru candidate, Mid and West regional list Blind to water theft SIR - David Thomas (Western Mail, Letters May 26) should be commended for bringing to our attention the "Government for Wales Bill" currently going through Westminster, which includes what can only be described as theft of a Welsh resource. It appears that pillaging in Wales continues. It makes one wonder if Westminster is preparing for the day when Wales might be given the right to run its own affairs with a Parliament similar to Scotland, but would still allow private English water companies to obtain Welsh water for free, while being able to sell it on for profit. If anybody is allowed to make a profit from this natural resource, surely it should be Wales. Sadly, we Welsh seem to be so busy guarding our language that we seem to be blind to other important issues. Are our representatives in Parliament and the Assembly prepared to allow this? EB HUGHES Maes yr Haf, Penclawdd, Swansea Greedy English eyes SIR - I just wondered how long it would take the English to cast their greedy eyes to Welsh Water for their own use. The English think the world was created for their benefit only. Not Africa for Africans, Asia for Asians and Wales for the Welsh... well, not until recently. With their armies of occupation in Labour, Tory and Liberal parties, I'm sure they can find another Welsh valley to use to provide those people in Kent or the Midlands with their birthright ie what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine! Note: I'm not Welsh-speaking and am not a member of any political party. JOHN COX New Street, Ferndale Rhondda, Mid Glamorgan