Tory MP for Dudley suggests access to Welsh beaches is a ‘basic right’
A Tory MP has suggested that access to Welsh beaches is a basic right for his constituents.
Marco Longhi, who represents Dudley North, in the West Midlands, complained to the House of Commons that the nearest beach is in Wales and that access is “almost mission impossible”.
He made the comments in a debate titled Connectivity and Infrastructure within Wales and Cross-border. The UK Government is conducting a review into the matter.
In response to a question from Longhi, the Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said improving “cross-border holidaying” between Wales the and west midlands is “exactly what the review is about”.
He added that this is in part because it brings “gratification to the residents of Dudley”.
‘Forefathers’
Marco Longhi said: “My Italian forefathers always understood the importance of sunshine, sandy beaches and full-bodied, gorgeous ice cream, but for those who live in Dudley, the nearest beach is in Wales, and access is almost mission impossible.
“What can my right hon. Friend do to improve the wellbeing of my constituents by improving access to these basic rights?”
Simon Hart replied: “Sadly, we cannot move Dudley, but what we can do is progress the Union connectivity review and strengthen the links.
“I know my hon. Friend’s part of the world very well. Of course, the cross-border holidaying and other activity between the west midlands and Wales is well known, and we want to improve it.
“That is exactly what the review is about, because we know that brings not only gratification to the residents of Dudley, but economic prosperity to both areas.”
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What a lot of specious nonsense!! Since when has going to the beach been a ‘human right’? By the same logic the citizens of Switzerland or Bavaria or Austria have a human right to untramelled access to the beaches of northern Italy or Slovenia. This M.P. for Dudley really must recognise that Cymru/Wales is not England/Lloegr.
If the inhabitants of Dudley respect the rules in Wales then I am certain that they will be welcomed.
Entitled garbage. Apart from anything else there’s lots of beaches along the English side of the Severn Estuary, and that area is actually faster and easier for the citizens of Dudley to get to via motorway. Or is it the nice ‘unspoiled’ ones in ‘the countryside’ they want?
They want to prove a point. “We WANT access to Wales and we WANT it NOW without any hinderances”.
The Hawker Hart spent most of its life dropping bombs on the natives…this one is after the DFM!
I wonder what the balance of opinion will be in the Barmouth pubs tonight(not a lot we’re busy)…after all it was the home of the Wolverhampton Ski Club once…he is a proper trouble maker that SSW…
Let’s not forget the basic, God-given human right of access to “full-bodied, gorgeous ice cream”. Speech and association? Those are privileges doled out by the Grand High Scoopholder. With extra sprinkles is you’re lucky.
Omg that line about ice-cream sounded like a parody.
He’s not so good at geography is he. There are beaches just as close to Dudley that are in England as there are in Wales. Just another colonialist thinking Wales is his to do with as he pleases.
His problem is that Wales is still imposing restrictions on access, not that he cannot access any beach.
One of the idiots Mark wants us to love.
Only someone with a wholly unionist perspective (Longhi) could make this demand without realising the offence it may cause, and only someone with the same unionst perspective (Viceroy Hart) could answer in support of that demand. To make such a statement during a pandemic, implying a need to override Welsh Government regulations, is also irresponsible. It’s “mission impossible” for a very good reason.
It’s also an unnecessary statement, as Welsh regulations may be easing up on 7th August, which leads to the suspicion that it was said as another public exercise in belittling devolution.
It shows the attitude of England that they consider that we in Wales must do as we are told. We can have our own rules and laws as long as England can totaly ignore them. We are still a colony after all
Their first and last colony.
I would suggest to the Rt Hon Gentlemen that they stopp worrying about their constituents “God given right” to a jolly to the beach with ice cream thrown in until all of the said constituents have enough money to feed their families without resort to a Food Bank; have safe, secure housing without worries about flammable cladding or whether they can pay the rent; clothe themselves without being forced to use charity shops etc. I think I know my Bible pretty well and it doesn’t mention trips to the seaside or ice cream!
Oh whats’s that smell? just another pile of inglish tory BS
Cymru has a basic right to kick out anyone who refuses to follow the rules of our nation.
If visitors come and comply with these, the Coreso I Gymru. Otherwise, clear off.
The recent poster that has Tories choking on their Caviar says it best
This is Wales
We are not England
We have our own laws
Simple really Mr Dudley Longhi. As a card carrying Tory you are probably aware of the rules and how rules need to be observed. Now these rules happen to have been written by another government that errs on the side of caution. So if you wish to be flippant with other people’s health do so on your side of the Dyke where you seem to be quite adept at making a mess of things anyway. Your declared disrespect for other people marks as the sort of person not welcome here. Stay away.
What a cheek to complain about the infrastructure in Wales when its primarily his party’s neglect that’s the reason for it ! As for ‘a basic right’ – when were our ‘basic rights’ observed when our resources were plundered, language and culture targeted and freedom taken away whether we liked it or not ?! We now live in a country with a stronger voice – if, for example, we say we do not want you infecting our beaches, that is ‘our right’ !
Like the ‘basic right’ to buy up houses in rural Wales to rent them back to their English neighbours, entitlement or what. We can refuse to sell a property if the vendor is not going to live in it, although of course, we have bucketloads of evidence that they just lie. Or when houses are built with s.106 grants then sold on or used for holiday lets. We need a mobile Planning Inspectorate with teeth to monitor these movements and declarations of intent. Appreciate this comment has gone a long way from icecream but it’s symptomatic.
Just a reminder to this MP that it is my basic human right not to be infected by anyone travelling from Dudley to a Welsh beach…..
More grist to the mill for the desperate-to-be-offended little xenophobes on this website.
You have made the common mistake among BritNats of confusing anti-colonialism with xenophobia.
It is Dudley boy, for the Welsh. 👍
According to ‘Google’, Dudley is 114 miles from WestonSuperMare and 107 miles from Borth (which is due west of Dudley). WSM takes 2hr 7min to reach, straight down the M5, while Borth takes 2hr 44min via theM54/ A458/A457.
I can’t see Marco Longhi’s logic here. A basic human right to spend over an extra half hour in the car with the kids moaning ‘are we there yet’ every 5 minutes?
Surely he can’t be another English Tory trying to make some anti devolution political point?
This is basically a challenge to Welsh autonomy, this pandemic has allowed Wales to fully express its devolved powers in a way that is normalising Wales ability to act independently, Dudley, Rod and all those vile creatures that lurk in the corners of their lairs absolutely hate this, they hate the Welsh and certainly would not like to see them flourish….. Why? Because I think they’re actually scared we’d do really well on our own, in fact people in England would see Wales as a model for change.
Is it also a human right NOT to go to Dudley lol?
It is a human right to leave Dudley especially when there is an absolute pr*ck as incumbent M.P
Is there anything to miss if you do leave lol? Birmingham wouldn’t be high on my list of centres of culture anyway.