The Valleys need grafters, not grifters

Jon Alcock

I am fiercely proud to be from the Valleys. I grew up in Tonyrefail in the ’90s, in the shadow of what was then the Springfield estate — now rebuilt and rebranded.

I consider myself very lucky. I grew up with a tight-knit group of friends, and we spent our free time playing football, rugby, or just about any sport going.

Our shared dream was to be the next Ryan Giggs, Gary Speed — or in my case, Robbie Savage.

Our biggest concern was usually who’d carry the plastic goalposts one of the boys’ parents had kindly lent us, so we could have a proper game.

There was the occasional falling out when someone saw the game dying down and made a dash for the exit to avoid carrying the goals back, because that wasn’t the Valleys way.

We had each other’s backs, no matter what.

Sadly, that wasn’t the reality for everyone.

Heartbreaking

There’s a documentary on YouTube partly filmed partly on the street I grew up on.

It’s heartbreaking. It tells the story of people living in deep poverty, with no opportunities, turning to drugs to numb the pain of their reality. Three of my neighbours’ sons — all in their late teens or early twenties — died drug-related deaths. All far too young.

To be blunt, this was the legacy of Thatcher. She decimated jobs in our communities with little or no thought for what came next. Work, purpose, and pride were stripped away overnight.

And here’s the issue: many of our people are now turning to Nigel Farage as the answer to the Valleys’ decline.

It’s hard to understand why.

This is a man who considers Thatcher his political idol — the very person who tore our communities apart. He didn’t just applaud what she did to us — he models himself on her.

Ultra-wealthy

Farage is also the man who made headlines for his row with Coutts, a private bank for the ultra-wealthy.

During the row, he proudly bragged about his personal wealth and how he met their financial threshold.

Let’s be clear: he doesn’t represent the working class. He represents wealth and self-interest. He doesn’t just support the establishment — he is the establishment.

Nye Bevan, a fellow man of the Valleys and arguably Wales’ most important politician, would be devastated to see our communities turning to a man who would sell the NHS to the highest bidder. And it’s you, the working people, who would suffer most.

While Farage lines his pockets, you’d be expected to bring a credit card to Royal Glamorgan, Ysbyty Cwm Cynon, or Prince Charles Hospital.

Is that the country you want for your family?

There is another way.

Urgent

Maybe, one day, that way will be independence. But right now, we need something more urgent: politicians who will put Wales first.

And by that, I don’t mean Wales vs. England. I don’t mean nationalist vs. loyalist. Those arguments can wait.

One in three Welsh children lives in poverty. Families in the Valleys are relying on foodbanks. Now is not the time for grandstanding.

It’s time for action.

We need people like Danny Grehan, a man many in Tonyrefail will know — a Plaid Cymru councillor who rolls up his sleeves and gets on with doing what’s best for the local area. No noise. No bluster. Just hard work.

That’s what Plaid Cymru is in 2025 — a party that gets stuck in, fights for fairness, and demands Wales gets its fair share. A party now led by Rhun ap Iorwerth — a man who cares about the beautician, the bricklayer, and the bin collector. A party that wants better for everyone, no matter who you vote for and no matter whether you speak Welsh or English.

Labour doesn’t speak for us anymore. The Tories never did. Reform wants to pretend they do — but they’ll hurt you the most.

So, when the time comes to put an X in that box, do it for your family, your neighbours, your community.

Do it for the Wales we deserve.

Do it for a country not run by the same elite — but by us, for us.

Diolch.

Jon Alcock — just a boy from the Valleys, always.