Nato Summit In Cardiff

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-28853150

Its now apparent that the forthcoming Nato Summit in Cardiff is going to cost a fortune and will cause wide-spread disruption for miles around. I just can't see that hosting these things is in our interest at all. We would be much better off letting some other country do the honours, rather than this being foisted on a small country like Wales. Its not as if anybody here is going to benefit from it, apart from the Police who will raking in all that extra overtime.

Its marvelous isn't it ? There is no "resource" available when you have your burgled, or your car stolen but along comes 100's of foreign dignitaries and suddenly we will be awash with Plods !

[scooping]

Think you'll find Welsh Assembly members disagree with you. And the Welsh aren't payng for it...

[mikey4444]

Dozens of schools are going to be closed and widespread disruption caused for miles around. One set of roads are going to be closed for 4 weeks, despite the Summit only going on for a few days. Its true that The Assembly probably won't be paying for it but somebody will have to, and to what end ?
Its going to cost £millions !

And of course the Assembly members are approving....they will be able to strut around for a few days, looking important and get a few free lunches...what's not to like !

[scooping]

Just bask in the warmth of our democratic leaders slumming it at Celtic Manor

[scooping]

By the way, the all-you-can eat buffet at £20 is wonderful...

[grumpy01]

Unlike you to be factually incorrect Mikey but the summit is actually taking place at Celtic Manor Newport.

[mikey4444]

I'm not being mistaken here grumps. There is going to be events in Cardiff as well, which you ca plainly see from the video footage in the following link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-28843481

[scooping]

The roads are probably only closed to allow throngs of admirers to clap and cheer our esteemed leaders.

[grumpy01]

Apologies Mikey.I thought the summit was being held entirely at Celtic Manor with not all the delegates staying there but elsewhere in the principality.

[Booldawg]

maybe they should have it in London then everyone else in the UK can complain how 'Londoncentric' the UK is.

[mushroom25]

it's not fair to play the "Londoncentric" card in a situation like this. very few UK cities could cope with an international political event, without imposing huge inconvenience on the general populace. in more than just a few cities, there's no credible alternative when roads are closed, and some will have no alternative but to take time off.

[youngmafbog]

Very true, if held in England we can imagine Mickey post about how Wales is always left out !

Seriously though I sympathise with you.

We have regular problems with party conferences in our Town with places closed of and Plod everywhere although not to the scale you will lsuffer. And our local Plod are useless except for motoring offenses.

[belrec]

just a quick point, i recently went to Cardiff (last week) and they already have signs all over the motorways warning of the Nato conference 4th-5th sept and to make plans to use other routes, so they seem to be on top of that bit :-)

[agchristie]

Oh dear Mikey! At least you won't need one of the hotels in Swansea!

I would cabin up if i were you. Have you got plenty of tins of food in?

[wolf63]

Mickey

That resort hotel looks really unusual. Was it initially a house?

[wolf63]

Sorry Mikey and not Mickey.

[mikey4444]

Apparently so wolfie..... :::

The earliest record of a building on the resort site was 1634, when it was the residence of the High Sheriff of Monmouthshire, Lewis Van.
The Manor House was built in 1860 by Thomas Powell, the largest coalmine owner in the South Wales coalfield, the world's biggest coal exporter and the first coal millionaire. Powell's son, Thomas Powell Jnr, and his bride Julia Jenkins were given the mansion as a wedding gift when they married in 1859. They named it Coldra Hall.
After Thomas and Julia Powell's deaths on safari in Africa, Coldra Hall was leased to a number of tenants, including the Firbank family from 1900–1915. Charles Firbank was also a high sheriff of Monmouthshire and well known for his generosity, entertaining parties of a hundred or more blind and disabled people. On Mr Firbank's death in 1915, the hall was sold to Sir John Wyndham, a colliery and shipping entrepreneur, who added a wing to it.
In 1930 Sir John donated the house to the local health authority and, in 1940, it became the Lydia Beynon Maternity Hospital, named in honour of his mother. Over 60,000 babies were born there, including the present owner Sir Terry Matthews. It closed as a hospital on 1 March 1977.

[wolf63]

Interesting history and a huge building.

[mikey4444]

From the M4 driving past, it has a certain resemblance to the Potala Palace in Tibet !

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=potala+tibet&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:%7Breferrer:source%3F%7D&rlz=1I7ADFA_en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Do70U7H0LYfmyQOwpIHwAQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&;biw=1024&bih=729