Mark Alaszewski

Employment solicitor, exiled Northerner in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿, music and sports anorak.

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Joe___Allen Didn't think any of the leaders were particularly impressive. The compere let Dan Thomas off the hook on the Aaron Banks tweet. Rhun wasn't great at selling the Plaid manifesto. Eluned Morgan has a tendency to disappear into obscure policy detail...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Joe___Allen I was in the audience. Thought it was a shame they segregated it by political views as the reform / tory types made their presence known early on and thereafter it degenerated into a left / right thing with fairly predictable applause and catcalling of the opposite side...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Joe___Allen Meanwhile the sentient majority in Penarth concluded that a few kids splashing around in the summer sun is not a major public nuisance...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@EmmaSzewczak I enjoyed A Real Pain, thought it was an interesting perspective and a long way from a conventional 'holocaust' film. I liked the scene at the end where they get an earful from a Polish OAP - that had a distinct ring of authenticity, at least based on some of my relatives...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Joe___Allen Its weird how little Welsh history gets taught in schools. My kids know more about the American West than they do about the Rebecca Riots, Owain Glyndwr or Llywellyn the Great. Very puzzling after 20+ years of devolution...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@PlinthBotherer5 Its certainly ignited the passions of the people of Penarth more than any issue in recent memory. What would be nice is if they could create a safe swimming space so that local youth aren't encouraged to hurl themselves off bridges around the park on hot days...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Jeffrey62093861 @Joe___Allen You are not a glass-half full type are you? It won't make much difference, the new Ashley Down station in Bristol doesn't. Infinitely preferable to queueing in stationary traffic around the Severn Bridge and Newport, which I've had to endure on a fair few occasions...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Jeffrey62093861 @Joe___Allen They will have some effect. If you live in, for example, St Mellons and work in Bristol (as I do) it is highly unattractive to drive into Newport or Cardiff to catch a train. But you probably would if there was a station nearby with a direct train.

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@philblanche I was with my daughters in the away end. I remember the ball dropping down from the sky in slow motion onto Bale's chest and thinking 'that surely has to be offside...'

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@nicolelampert @matthewsyed Out of interest, do you take the same stance on other high profile BBC figures, eg, Alexander Armstrong and his views on VAT on public school fees?

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@ceritheviking @Joe___Allen Or......this will bring in visitors and valuable revenue for the Council and the city which can protect the services that we all enjoy for the price of a few days disruption in the summer months.

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@roathboy Agree there is an improvement but you can over-state it - Page got plenty of 1-1 away v Macedonia type results and was a kick away from qualifying for successive tournaments. The style is a better but there are some eccentric selections, jury is out IMO.

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Joe___Allen Its fair enough, just as it is fair enough for Plaid to respond highlighting Welsh Labour's failure to secure central government investment, HS2 consequential, St David's Day Bank Holiday, etc. Its called politics, the voting public can decide who's right...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@bccamplight I think weather can be an underrated factor in mood. This winter has been really testing in the UK, so grey and depressing - even the most cheerful people I know have seemed quite down. Roll on March...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Jeffrey62093861 @Pissypants10 @WillHayCardiff The two issues aren't related and it gets Welsh government off the hook to pretend that they are. You can have both health services and culture, its inane to pretend it is a choice between the two.

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Pissypants10 @Jeffrey62093861 @WillHayCardiff I live in the real world but I don't think the two things are mutually exclusive, we can surely have both functioning health and education services and museums without collapsing roofs - they seem to manage it other countries. Aim a bit higher.

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@Jeffrey62093861 @WillHayCardiff Who is 'real Wales' then Jeffrey and how are you a spokesperson for them? The people I know are all gutted about what's going on at the National Museum, its an embarrassment. Can you imagine it happening in London or Paris? (or, for that matter, Vilnius or Bratislava...)

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@SCynic1 Echoes of George Bernard Shaw...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@ceritheviking This has been a dismal chapter and @huwthomas is 100% correct. I'm an instinctive supporter of devolution but this kind of bureaucratic inertia from WAG suggests we may be better off without it. Andy Burnham seems to achieve more with more limited powers...

[Mark Alaszewski @MarkAlaszewski]

@bindelj The Guardian sadly disappeared up its own posterior in the 2010s, its a crying shame as Britain desperately needs an intelligent liberal-left paper to counteract the right wing bias elsewhere. Those enjoying its demise should be careful what they wish for...