Comments for Only Connect

Comment on End of the Maskrey’s era by PJ Statham

PJ Statham — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:46:20 +0000

It is indeed sad that Maskreys is to close. They have been at the forefront in educating people into contemporary furniture in Wales and Bristol for many years. We wish Robert a happy retirement though I suspect he will not sit on his hands!
It is easy to look at Ikea and John Lewis as competitors, but you ought not to overlook Natuzzi or Momentum, both operating at the high end of retail in Cardiff nor the growth of Leekes. The effect of the internet has been crucial too, where many people choose to buy a piece of furniture having visited a local shop where the retailer has invested in premises and stock, they try the furniture and then buy slightly more cheaply on-line. This undermines the personal service that made Maskreys into the business it became and weakens any retail business.
There is also the “if it’s in Wales it can’t be good enough” group that still chooses to travel to London to buy the same products from the same manufacturers on offer in Wales, but they think if they buy them in London they must be better.
Maskreys did remarkably well, but their decision to close does not bode well for the other independent retailers in Cardiff.
Oh, I almost forgot…Gordon Brown’s recession has not helped either!

Comment on My political groundings – a guest blog by Why we live in Cardiff: guest blog « Only Connect

Why we live in Cardiff: guest blog « Only Connect — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:17:21 +0000

[...] the question by uncomprehending friends “why do you live in Cardiff?”. As a south Londoner (political history here), I migrated here via the very beautiful countryside of north [...]

Comment on A Phoenix rises from The Persians by peterdcox

peterdcox — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:58:42 +0000

Thanks again for re-visiting. Rather than re-write I have added a note to ensure people read the comments to get a more complete picture: it is what I hoped would happen so thanks again.
Great news about the archive: do let me know if I can help in any way.
And of course I hadn’t connected Pete Telfer with THAT Pete Telfer, I’ve been a member since the early days so I’ll certainly be right over there.

Comment on A Phoenix rises from The Persians by richard huw morgan

richard huw morgan — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:50:51 +0000

Have had a word with Mike and we will be assessing the current state of play and future progress of the archive materials when he returns from a well earned break in Germany. Having re-read your original post, just to say Richard Lynch also has Brith Gof pedigree, having performed as an actor in the stage production ‘Patagonia’ and in ‘Camlann’ and also as one of the ‘voices’ (scientist i think but would have to check) in the Glasgow (and possibly Aberystwyth?) stagings of PAX. I think he also recorded the narration for ‘Patagonia remics – Ar y Traeth). Also not forgetting that Giles Parbery, Edwina Williams Jones and Steven Verncombe on the technical side all worked with BG from Gododdin onwards, and Pete Telfer followed and photographed the company’s work for many years after his chance encounter with Gododdin in Leeuvarden(sp?). A few of Pete’s pics from the past are at his excellent Culture Colony / Y Wladfa Newydd website (http://www.culturecolony.com/) along with excellent production shots from The Persians. The latter are in his personal blog, a members only section, well worth the membership fee alone!

Comment on A Phoenix rises from The Persians by peterdcox

peterdcox — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:32:19 +0000

Again, sorry for the typo!
I hadn’t noticed the bleeping – I found the promo video a little irritating (age, I am told) – so I hadn’t inferred anything. The press release makes references to everyone’s antecedents, I suppose no one has drawn it together to make any conclusions. It would have been a starting point for discussion had I been at the post show session. And when I interviewed Mike I took it “as read”, it was only later that I realised what a lot of assumptions I’d made because of my own knowledge/involvement.
Perhaps others will follow it up and discuss further.
I am still somewhat saddened that there seems to be no accessible archive of the company’s work (Mike Shanks’ apart), I think much of the ‘stuff’ went to Aber in the hope that it would be. A great project for NToW maybe?

Comment on A Phoenix rises from The Persians by peterdcox

peterdcox — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:22:57 +0000

Oh dear, thanks for that correction, I should have noticed since I was there!

Comment on A Phoenix rises from The Persians by Richard Huw Morgan

Richard Huw Morgan — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:13:36 +0000

P.s the photo you use captioned Gododdin is actually PAX at St David’s Hall in Cardiff

Comment on A Phoenix rises from The Persians by Richard Huw Morgan

Richard Huw Morgan — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:51:45 +0000

Hi peter, just to say thanks for writing your piece – NTW’s attitude towards the historical debt to BG is interesting. I would love someone to explain the rationale for bleeping out the name Brith Gof in their ‘What I expect from the Persians’ promo video.
Richard Huw Morgan. (Huw not Hugh)

Comment on A personal view – looking forward to Cardiff 2020 by Assembly members spurn blogs, but why are they so scared of talking directly to Wales? | Bethanjohnwriter's Blog

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:43:36 +0000

[...] a tiny handful see: Cardiff Blogger; Welsh political twins; Welsh ramblings; Cambria politico; Peter Cox). If you’re not engaging with their debates, especially if you disagree, it demonstrates that [...]

Comment on BBC to give Cardiff’s planning woes a very public airing by peterdcox

peterdcox — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:04:40 +0000

Wish I knew. Council has been a bit circumspect and football club worried about going bust. All I know is what has been reported – that the Executive of Cardiff Council allowed them o sell the land – to whom, for what …?

Comment on BBC to give Cardiff’s planning woes a very public airing by duncan hockridge

duncan hockridge — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:31:03 +0000

Hi Peter. Re the Cardiff City gound. Did they sell off the new site or was it the old site which is now being developed for housing? So who now owns the new site if it was that which was sold?

Comment on Justice is failing the victim by Judge jails the cleaner « Only Connect

Judge jails the cleaner « Only Connect — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:39:02 +0000

[...] 21, 2009 · Leave a Comment It took 464 days after she was first remanded, but our cleaning lady finally (yesterday 20 November 2009) got her just deserts for the attempted [...]

Comment on Justice is failing the victim by Margaret Thomson

Margaret Thomson — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:22:47 +0000

Should the defence team be allowed to withdraw?!
Can a judge in these circumstances not insist that they carry on?
Surely this action proves her guilt when a top defence barrister wants to give up, it shows lack of faith?
My sympathy goes to the victim who in her seventies must still be suffering and questioning “British Justice”

Comment on Victorian Society in Cardiff goes afloat by peterdcox

peterdcox — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:33:54 +0000

Corrigendum: (and grovels!)
It’s the South Wales Group of the Victorian Society
VicSoc is English-centric ‘cos they get lots of dosh from English Heritage and squiggly squat from WAG/CADW
- but they’d love us all to go …

Comment on Victorian Society in Cardiff goes afloat by dahuletam

dahuletam — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:39:30 +0000

Why is this cost increasing when enrollment is decreasing?