Just been reading those two news items ,soon it will be a case of none of us will have a choice to drink eat or smoke what we want whenever we want.

What ever next all alcohol out of sight under the bar and under the counters in the super markets .

Dictatorship here we come .:-(

Before we class ourselves as Mindless drones lets stop and think who voted into power the people making these decisions. As for the analogy of a Nazi Style existence I find that absurd and offensive.

Questions for you -

Should the Nations Front be allowed to advertise on TV.
Should we allow elective euthanasia.
Should we allow our children to be chained in schools.

If we lived in a true free western democracy the answer would probably be yes to some or all of these questions. Would that make it right? You tell me.

You personally may not have voted for this government but we collectively did. It is called Democracy.

So the people in the valleys who voted labour did so mindlessly, because it was "how my father and grandfather voted so I will follow". Baa" This hackneyed phrase is always used as an excuse by political activists of parties that don't do very well in elections ,as the reason for their failiure. Personally, i give the people of the valleys more credit than to class them as sheep, I can't agree that people who turn out to vote do so because of ovine tendancies.Even though Labour is not my choice i respect the peoples decision, they have the same brains as you or I surely?

The following your father when it came to casting your
vote was done by many. I for one was guilty until I
could see the world through my eyes, and then i voted as I thought for the right party, Today I am a non political person, and the last vote I cast was to a party that held the power in the house to stop a bill that was not in the peoples favour, and unwanted,IT WAS the
G,S,T tax this party I had never ever voted for before
had my,and many others vote, and were sucessful in being returned,because they said that they would not
allow the gov,. to pass the law,
The first thing they done was to pass the law for
G,S,T which is your V,A,T,and I have not voted again
People tell me I am wasting a vote, but it is my vote
and I can use it as I wish, and as some will say you
cannot change things if you do not vote, That is a
dream who ever you vote in they are not going to
change things for you and me, but for what they can
get out of it for their selves.

DOUG OZ

I’ll tell what I believe is wrong, our fathers, and grandfathers, were led by fighters for people and their rights, not many made it to MP status.
Some were even Communists. but fighters of peoples rights non the less.
After the 1926 strike, the emigration from the valleys began, the older generations values, principles, and way of life were starting to erode.
Then after nationalisation of the collieries in 1947 the mass closures of the remaining collieries started, and further erosion of values and emigration set in.

If you say we don’t need the coal, then what the hell are they doing reclaiming it from old tips, and opening opencast sites for now.
Today’s generation believe that the labour party, stands for those old principles, which their father believed in.
They won’t see the likes of Nye Bevin again.

You say it's a dream Doug who ever you vote for. I don't know any thing about Australian politicians or policies, so I can't comment.
I use my vote for the person I can see that's doing the best they can for the people they represent, even if they come from the Raving Looney Party

How you use your vote that’s your prerogative, and right, if we in the valleys are thought of as sheep, then I know for one hell of lot of Donkeys and Asses in power.

nonrev, you're quite right, perhaps peoples opinions in the valleys have been forged by suspicion and mistrust ,after being pissed on from a great height from successive tory gentlemen and their exploitive buisiness fraternity. But sheep? Never!That's an insult to what and who we are.I've certainly never known you to be sheepish about anything, except when "A" is around of course! LOL!!

You all will go on voting WHOEVER is up for one of the safest Labour seats around and perhaps I was wrong in calling voters in the valleys sheep , I suppose Ostrich's would would be better.

Although it is many years since I lived in the valley, I think there is something to be said for the trait of "handing down of the torch from father to son" in the voting customs for many. (-note I said many and not all). It happened in my family and until I was standing on my own two feet, living away (in the forces) and gave some thought to voting without pressure, I made my own decision. I remember my grandmother saying she would never speak to me again if I voted for anyone but Labour. Part of the problem is not so much the polictical party but, "who elects the MP to stand for the constituency in the first place."?? Generally, it is done and dusted that a certain person has been nominated by a party to stand, and in the case of your present incumbant, if you want to vote Labour in power, she has to get your vote-whether she deserves it or not. That is the problem, after a period in office, the voters have no mechanism to judge performance of an MP and get them removed if they are not performing and someone else elected. They have to wait until the next Election. That's why many MPs today have become complacent about how they perform, always knowing that as long as they are in a particular stronghold where their party is always voted for,they are always likely to get voted in. Sometimes change is needed to break this mould and bring the odd shock treatment about.

I once wrote to John Major when he was our local MP, the same time as he was PM. I didn't think I would even get a reply thinking he was a busy guy running the country. Not only did I get a written reply within 3 days, but was offered an appointment at his constituency surgery to meet face to face to discuss and the promises he made to look into my complaint were actioned and dealt with very effectively. Forget the fact which political party he is from and who he was at the time. This chap ran two surgeries a month and had a back up team to get all the details he needed to answer you and always a courteous written reply. That is what an MP is about. Ask the questions about your MP down there. How many surgeries does she hold a month or year, how often does she visit local businesses or schools or get involved in major community issues. Ask how many Parliamentary questions she has asked in the House regarding the valley and how often does she feature in your local paper highlighting what she is achieving (most MPs love to do that to show they are working). If the answers are either "don't know" or "none", then your carrying a piece of dead wood who is creaming off the salary and those great allowances to use the valley position of MP to aspire to higher things. Remember the ballot box is the mouthpiece you need to use. (Or write to her at the House of Commons and ask her these same questions I have posed) She is duty bound to reply but it would be interesting to see the response you get!!!

If you really want to stir things up-write to Gordon brown at the House of Commons and ask him who the MP for the valley is and say your asking him because nobody has seen her around or have any idea what she is doing for her constituency. In fact ask if she still represents it-that will cause a few questions.

Letters to your local paper could have an effect if enough people wrote in to the Editors Page-start a competition in it for "Has Anyone Seen Our MP"

Maybe it is time for the tide to turn and the mould needs to be broken in the Cynon Valley and something new needs to be tried. You never know it might work.