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Opinion

Cardiff’s ‘nuclear’ mud threatens to become a toxic Tryweryn of our own making

26 Sep 2017 3 minute read
Hinkley Point A nuclear power plant

Ifan Morgan Jones

‘Contributionism’ has long been the dominant mode of thinking within Wales’ unionist parties.

This term, coined by Ned Thomas in the 80s, is best summed up as the belief that Wales’ glory is best sought via its contribution to the rest of the UK.

If that means serving as a foolish but loyal Baldrick to the UK Government’s dismissive Blackadder, that’s fine.

As long as Wales can bask in the reflected glory of Britain’s (admittedly rapidly diminishing) global prowess, all is well.

I had a glimmer of hope that this mindset may finally be changing in the wake of Brexit.

However, the revelation that the Welsh Government gave the go-ahead for 300,000 tonnes of mud from a disused nuclear plant to be dumped near Cardiff quickly brought me to my senses.

The scheme unearthed by newly independent AM, Neil McEvoy is absolutely jaw-dropping.

In 2013 the Welsh Government granted permission for the developers of Hinkley Point C to dispose of sediment from the construction work outside Cardiff Bay.

EDF Energy has given assurances that the work is not harmful. But now a marine pollution consultant, Tim Deere-Jones, has weighed in to warn that the sampling to check the mud for harmful contaminants was inadequate.

Waste from the nuclear plant could have been seeping into the mud for 50 years, he said.

“Rather than being relatively stable at the Hinkley site it is being churned up and brought over here to be dumped,” he told the BBC.

“As a result, Welsh coastal populations could be exposed to doses of marine radioactivity.”

Politically toxic

The whole episode is utterly mind-boggling. Potentially radioactive mud is not something to be dumped on the doorstep of your capital city, whether the work is “in line with legal requirements” or not.

What on earth were the Welsh Government thinking?

Unfortunately, this latest revelation seems to be part of a disturbing pattern.

It follows a number of super-prisons being built in Wales, accusations of social cleansing, and the First Minister’s invitation for Trident to relocated to Pembrokeshire.

Wales seems to be becoming a dumping ground for problems too unsavoury for the rest of the UK, and our politicians seem to be perfectly happy with that.

But to reach out a bowl over the Severn Estuary and ask ‘Please, Sir, can I have some more potentially toxic sludge?” is taking Ned Thomas’ contributionism to a whole new level.

If it’s discovered that the mud is in any way radioactive, it will be a toxic Tryweryn that the Welsh Government will find it hard to live down.

It will be worse than Tryweryn in many ways because this isn’t an indignity being forced on us. This is our government – we’re doing it to ourselves.

Suspension

Another question is why it is being left to an independent AM, Neil McEvoy, to dredge up the Welsh Government’s dirty (and potentially toxic) laundry?

If this is what he can discover when left to his own devices, however, perhaps Plaid Cymru should suspend him more often.


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sibrydionmawr
7 years ago

Just what are our politicians doing? It’s extremely worrying that the Welsh Labour government feels that it can make these kinds of decisions with impunity, but I think there are bigger questions to be asked of the so called Party of Wales in that they have remained silent. One almost expects the worst from Welsh Labour in that it has always been a willing side-kick to it’s English sibling, but the utter screaming silence over this, and many other issues from the Party of Wales is disgraceful.

Dafis
Dafis
7 years ago
Reply to  sibrydionmawr

Your question is rhetorical I presume. Amply evident for donkeys that Cynulliad, with a small number of notable exceptions, has become a haven for political careerists with a huge aversion to taking a close look at potentially difficult issues before finalising an approval or otherwise. Listening to that drippy Minister mouthing platitudes about the decision having gone through the appropriate procedure, or words to that effect, makes my blood boil. That is tantamount to an acknowledgement that it was a matter shuffled through with minimal formal proceedings in the Chamber. Plaid should have seen that at least as a chance… Read more »

Karl - Wrecsam
Karl - Wrecsam
7 years ago

Well done Carwyn Jones and Labour, your English Keepers are proud of you.

Cymrbach
7 years ago

What worries me the most about this sordid affair,is ,not that it was doe( we can expect nothing better from labour) but the acquiescence of Plaid. I’ve often wondered if they just do the minimum to appear to be in opposition but secretly supporting labour in all they do.Perhaps Neil was being too pro-active for the leadership of Plaid-coming too close too exposing this comfy arrangement? I exclude our parliamentary team from this-they do,and always have done,an excellent job

kim erswell
kim erswell
7 years ago

Seems ironic that in another article – “Independent’ McEvoy goes after the First Minister” – there was comment of, Mr McEvoy, being toxic himself: where in fact he’s actually seems to be disclosing the toxicity. Going by this and other comments in, Nation Cymru, his remarks make for serious thought and investigation.

Royston Jones
7 years ago

I think you’re attributing too much power to the ‘Welsh’ Government. This decision would have been taken in London and presented to Carwyn and his gang as a fait accompli. Even so, the ‘Welsh’ Labour Government could still have put Wales’ interests first and made a fight of it.

Another possibility, seeing how civil servants run the show anyway, is that any dialogue in 2013 was between London ministers and their civil servants in Wales. The ‘Welsh’ Government could have been unaware until a couple of days ago what had been agreed in its name.

Edeyrn
Edeyrn
7 years ago

Here’s an another question………….is Wales being compensated financially for this dumping….like a normal country would be?

As much as I don’t want radioactive waste dumped here, most countries get paid to take on waste….yet “Cymru” takes it for free

Tame Frontiersman
Tame Frontiersman
7 years ago

The media reports puzzle me Steffan Messenger, BBC Wales Environment Correspondent reports on BBC Wales news online 25.9.17.that “Welsh ministers granted permission in 2013 for developers to dispose of the sediment at a site know as Cardiff Grounds, previously used to deposit waste from Cardiff and Newport docks………. The dredging is part of the work to construct waste discharge pipes and cooling water intakes for the new [nuclear] power station [at Hincley Point]. A marine licence allowing the company [EDF?] to dispose of the dredged mud in Welsh waters was granted during a period when responsibility for environmental regulation was… Read more »

Tellyesin
Tellyesin
7 years ago

When they involve radiation? That would be a no brainer for me

glyncoch
7 years ago
Reply to  Tellyesin

The agreement is to dump the waste on Cardiff Grounds which is listed as a “hazard to shipping” approaching Barry Docks and is described thus “Cardiff Grounds, a bank, dries and is constantly changing. It lies nearly parallel to the coast and extends NNE for about 3.5 miles from a position located 1.2 miles E of Lavernock Point. This bank is hook-shaped and its N end curves S to within 1 mile of Monkstone. Lighted buoys are moored off the NE and SW ends of the bank and off the middle of the NW side.” Read more here http://www.visitmyharbour.com/harbours/bristol-channel/bristol-channel/expanded.asp I… Read more »

JOY BISHOP
JOY BISHOP
7 years ago

Am I the only one aware that the mud and sea of the Severn has had radiation levels since the 80s at least. In the 90s, Cardiff’s low birthrate was blamed on the high level of radiation in the area as far back as the 90s. I am at a complete loss to understand how, when on a sunny day day you can clearly see Nuclear Plants 2 miles away , that the sea is not already contaminated ~ what does radiation stop half way accross? Is there some line in the mud that stops the radiated mud moving forward?… Read more »

Neil
Neil
7 years ago

This blog has lost all connection to reality. What total nonsense from someone who clearly has no understand of the issue.

glyncoch
7 years ago

I grew up within site of Hinkley A and watched it being built from my bedroom window. My younger brother went to school with the son of one of the commissioning engineers. Sometimes we shared lifts home from school, and I remember on several occasions being told that a three week test had been stopped because a party of visiting schoolchildren had tripped the radiation alarms with their “luminous watches”. I doubt that the 300,000 tonnes of mud will be very radioactive, but I am alarmed by the idea of dropping so much mud so close to the shipping channels.… Read more »

sianiflewog
sianiflewog
7 years ago

Da iawn chi Neil McEvoy am dynnu sylw i’r ‘Baw’ yn y bae. Good job someone is there to draw attention to the evils of the Marxist Leninists.

Dylan M
Dylan M
7 years ago

Mae angen ychwanegu dau beth i restr Ifan o brosiectau niweidiol i Gymru sef yr eliffant mawr ar garreg ein drws ym Môn, sef Wylfa B a’r siarad angyhfrifol am dreialu adweithydd niwclear modiwlar yn Nhrawsfynydd..

Edeyrn
Edeyrn
7 years ago

Sianiflewog…….having a dig at Marxist leninists…when the people with the power in Westminster are Conservative….at least be more subtle about the misdirected fire.
Many marxists Ive met belief in self rule for Welsh communities away from UK imperialism

sibrydionmawr
7 years ago
Reply to  Neil McEvoy

Link leads to ‘unexpected error’.

Tellyesin
Tellyesin
7 years ago

Whilst in no way trying to apologise for another insensitive and probably dangerous pile of s**t coming with extreme accuracy and prejudice upon us. Two points that will get missed. 1: 300,000 tonnes is not that big in comparison say to the amount of sand needed to build a motorway road bridge (about a million). It’s a lot of lorries but less than needed to construct Coryton Roundabout by a factor of 30 at least. 2: This is the second highest and therefore strongest tidal estuary in the world. It will be gone in24 hours, spread along the Severn on… Read more »

glyncoch
7 years ago

Tellyesin, my point exactly. I have been watching the silt washing down the channel for over 60 years while living, or visiting family on both sides. My brother is lifeboat crew on the channel so I have even more reason to observe and to care about what goes into it. Having loaded the mud onto a barge to get it to Cardiff,it would cost very little more to take it out to sea, which seems the most sensible place for it, if it is in the way on land. But if it is as non-radioactive as I suspect it is,… Read more »

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