Nick Bourne AM

People around town stop what they are doing at 11 am to observe two minutes’.silence. Many gather outside Siop y Pethe.. A few minutes before I had bumped into Elin Jones as we are both replenishing our stock of cash from the cashpoint machine before attending the two minutes’ silence.
I then head off to Llandrindod Wells for a constituency lunch organised by the Llandrindod. branch. It is a really enjoyable occasion and on our table conversation ranges over what mangoes are the sweetest, the performance of Helen Mirren in “The Queen” and also in “Calendar Girls” and the merits of The Hay Festival.

The politics sometimes take second place!Both Suzy Davies, our excellent candidate, and I speak. When Suzy’s husband Geraint arrives I manage to get an update on the rugby score from the Millennium Stadium– all seems well.

Yesterday I spoke to a luncheon group in Cardiff West in support of Craig Williams, my researcher, who is the Conservative Candidate fighting to unseat Rhodri Morgan from his perch in Cardiff West.  The Cardiff West Association is in extremely good shape with strong support from the Fairwater Club, a large number of young people and an active Ladies Branch based in Llandaff.  The Chairman, Keith Flynn, President Lorna Clarke, and Agent, Charlotte Bennett, are a formidable and united team.    I should have mixed feelings about the prospect of losing a hardworking and effective researcher if Craig should unseat Rhodri, especially as I am destined to lose another of my team, Nick Ramsay, who is the candidate in Monmouth.  However, I will be only too delighted if Craig wins.      He first shot to prominence in Welsh political circles dressed in a Panda suit when he was a part of the campaign against council tax rebanding - the ‘Reband a Panda’ campaign, and somehow the nickname has stuck.     When I introduced him to Rhodri earlier this week I saw a look of panic pass across the First Ministerial face.  Could the First Minister be unseated by a candidate of such tender years , only 21, especially after boundary changes which are widely reckoned to favor the Welsh Conservatives.  Watch this space!  

Last night I went to the New Theatre to see ‘A Christmas Carol’.  This, of course, is the ultimate feel good story of Charles Dickens, perhaps one of the best feel good stories of all time.  It always prompts me to think of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, the film starring Jimmy Stewart, also a Christmas setting and also a really feel good story. 

Ron Moody, as Ebenezer Scrooge, is absolutely superb and took several curtain calls at the end.  There was just one small slip where he called Bob Cratchett ‘Fred’, but he soon recovered and was terrific in the part.  

It is good to see the New Theatre still packing in audiences.  There were many who feared that the advent of the Wales Millennium Centre would lead to fewer people going to the New Theatre, but it seemed to be thriving last night, certainly. 

I met Jenny Randerson there, and Owen John Thomas was also there.  

I am a great Dickens fan.  I went fairly recently to the Dickens Museum in London which is a private museum in

.  In fact the Patron of the Trustees is Edna Healey, I believe.  Going around this excellent museum, which had once been Dickens home, it struck me as strange to find that Dickens was well acquainted with many other contemporary authors.  Quite why I should be surprised I don’t know, but the sight of pictures of Charles Dickens in amateur dramatics with Wilkie Collins surprised me as much as it would have done to find that Ian Rankin and JK Rowling go clubbing together in Edinburgh on their nights off.   I do understand that Ruth Rendell and PD James are good friends, although from different sides of the political spectrum, Ruth Rendell on the left and PD James on the right. I suppose that I had a vision of Charles Dickens working away in total isolation in a breezy garret cut off from the outside world and only surfacing occasionally to take the plaudits for another novel successfully completed before retreating once more to start work on the next one. 

I just received a really amusing press release from a friend.   They particularly objects to wastes of public money, as I do, and has identified the £12,500 grant that went to the Chapter Arts Gallery for a virtual art exhibition.  He has an interesting bid of his own.

They are going to apply to the Arts Council of Wales for a substantial grant to fund a VIRTUAL CIVIC CHRISTMAS TREE. (Hereafter known as the tree.)The tree would be in the centre of Aberystwyth as normal. Passers by could stop and contemplate the tree and see what they wanted to see. A 50’ Norwegian spruce, a 40’ Douglas Fir or even a 12” plastic silver tree complete with fairy on the top.The spectators could design (in their minds) what lights adorned their tree. Millions of small pea lights, a vast swath of coloured bulbs etc. The choices are endless!!It could have a vast mound of gaily wrapped presents at the bottom or for the more religious, a crib scene where a doting Mary cares for the baby Jesus.All in all everyone who stopped to look at the tree would be happy because they would see what they wanted to see and expected. 100% customer satisfaction!Then there would be other benefits to the community.