Politics and celebrity have been part of the electioneering toolkit for sometime now.
Tony Blair got matey with the likes of Oasis and Blur in the 90s and David Cameron had actor Michael Caine at last year’s general election.
Labour candidate Jeff Cuthbert has landed the support of a former Miss Caerphilly.
Rhian Davies, from Bedwas, is currently studying for a degree in politics and international relations at the University of York and is backing Mr Cuthbert in his bid for a third term as Caerphilly’s local AM.
Mr Cuthbert, who on Thursday was joined on the election trail by Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones, said: “I am delighted that Rhian has expressed her support for my campaign. A number of young people in Caerphilly have been involved with my bid for re-election, citing Labour’s preservation of the Educational Maintenance Allowance and capping of tuition fees for Welsh students as among their reasons.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear that only a vote for Labour can help Wales stand up to the over-zealous cuts of the UK Con-Dem Government.”
Miss Davies, who won her title in 2008 while a pupil at Lewis Girls’ School, said: “I am supporting Jeff not only because of his tireless hard work as our local AM over the past eight years, but because I believe that Labour values are Welsh values.
“Labour has kept the EMA here in Wales, a vital support for young people who want to carry on with their studies; Labour has also capped university tuition fees so that Welsh students can go into higher education without having to worry about the huge debts that English students will unfairly be burdened with.
“It’s clear to me that only Labour will stand up for Wales, so I’m backing Jeff.”
Wow – this is a 'game-changer' for Cuthbert a former Miss Caerphilly has endorsed him! I also hear on the grapevine that William Thomas who came second in the largest leek competition at the Machen Agricultural show, is about to issue a statement backing Jeff ! Surly, with this type of momentum behind him Cuthbert is unstoppable!
i was glad to see by Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones out in the town of caerphilly on thersday. i was able to speeck with bouth him and jeff and i am confident that the way forword for carphilly is with jeff and labour
David Hughes – in terms of 'game changers' for Plaid, that was when your party foolishly failed to rule out doing a deal with the Tories.
Believe me, this is costing Plaid, and costing them badly on the streets of Caerphilly.
to alex they not only failed to rule out doing a deal with the Tories. in caerphilly they are shering a bilding with them look in the windows over the one's coverd with plide posters in caerphilly and you see the consevetive ones lol
Alex – the people of Caerphilly are going to elect Ron Davies on the 5th of May and you know it – if you can manage to pull back the curtains the town and the valley is a forest of green Ron stakes. What did the Western Mail say about your man ? And this is a paper owned by the Mirror Group that allows back Labour _
"Voting fodder whose unquestioning loyalty to the party leadership is unlikely ever to be rewarded with a ministerial role.
MARKS: 4 out 10 – one of the lowest marks for any AM !
And a big mistake is backing residents only parking in Caerphilly – what will the disabled do now ? What about the shops in the town. Jeff Cuthbert is determined to turn this town into a ghost town !
David Hughes – April fools day was three weeks ago!! Do you realy judge an election contest by the number of estate boards put up by party members? Alex is right, Plaid Cymru's refusal to rule out a coalition with the Tories will only work against them in natural anti – Tory territory like Caerphilly.
Ron Davies is pitting all his anger on Labour and has mentioned nothing about the way in which this Tory government is conducting itself. Perhaps Ron will be glad to be part of a Tory/Plaid coalition in Cardiff bay. Who knows, in the event of such a disaster he may well get the chance to cross the floor and join the Tories. Plaid Cymru are fools to be cosying up to the Tories and are showing their true colours. The only way to prevent a Tory led coalition is by voting Labour on May 5th.
David,- Can you explain to the Caerphilly town Centre Residents, as a supporter of Plaid Cymru, why Jeff Cuthbert `backing the residents` is a " big Mistake"?.
You appear to be one the Plaid gang, including the St Martins ward Councillors, who fail to recognise that the town does not start and end in Cardiff Road, There and hundreds of houses in the `TOWN` all with considerable investment in their homes, and I hope that your candidate Ron Davies will support those people from whom he is seeking their votes, and not thos transient traders who come and go.
Please expand on your view that Jeff Cuthberts backing of the Town residents id a BIG MISTAKE, your reply should be of interest to a few thousand votes living in the town. Before you, make sure you are not doing Ron Davies a dis-service.
UPDATE+UPDATE+UPDATE
Enoch Hughes and his amazing musical saw, who was 2nd in his school's talent competition three years is also going to endorse Jeff next week !
The saw is as yet undecided.
David Hughes, whoever he is, and whatever the source of his information, is not doing Ron Davies, his Candidate, any favours by being critical of Jeff Cuthberts support for the people of the town in respect to the parking issues. Jeff Cuthber is demonstrating his support for residents whilst David Hughes promotes the opposite by Ron Davies the Plaid Cymru Candidate. He should ask Ron what his view is on this proposal, the voters will do so on the doorstep, and if he fails to demonstrate support for the towns residents over the interests of those commercial enterprises in the town he is bound to lose thousands of votes, well done David in highlighting the excelent work and support for the residents of the town by Jeff Cuthbert,
No votes in shops David.!!!!
Trevor my point is this – traders need people to park in town – if not the shops will close – and I have seen what affect the mass closure of shops has on house prices and the creation of zones of unsocial behaviour ..
I witnessed it myself in Llanelli when all the shop went out of town – drug takers and such like moved into the empty buildings ! What about the new indoor market which is such a bonus to Caerphilly ?
What about the disabled ?
These things need to be thought through – not a knee jerk reaction by a desperate Labour politician looking for a few quick votes writing letters demanding residents only parking to the council !
Do we need a multi storey perhaps ?
I fully appreciate that shoppers and all traders need to park in convenient places in the town, that is why. of course, the council have provided three or four town center car parks, these car parks are largely underused, except perhaps the Twyn Car Park, but all require users to pay to park, whilst those who park in the residential streets, blocking access for residents to their homes, this is an environment issue and one which impacts on the residents and their families quality of life.
The fact is that the town currently suffers huge problems of anti social behaviour, criminal damage and other issues to do with visitors to the town due to its night time economy, it suffers severe problems of noise nuisence from a number of local pubs, and from through traffic in residential streets due to inconsiderate town visitors driving through residential streets looking for `somewhere to park`.
I normally have my ear to the ground when it comes to these issues, I would also think that if residents had backed a blanket residents only parking proposal I would know about it, what I do know is that Jeff Cuthber appears to have taken the views of a very small, and unrepresentative number of residents in the town, and extrapulated that to assume that ALL town RESIDENTS want the same thing, as it happens I think that that is the case, i.e. that most if not all residents would back the blanket proposal, but, to my certain knowledge residents have NOT been consulted on the proposals, I do thing however that Jeff Cuthbert appears to be in step with residents on this issue, If Plaid Cymru`s Ron Davies disagrees he is wrong, and I have no fear in telling him so.
The winner of this election will be the one who supports the residents, not the one who promotes even further errosion of their rights to a quite and secure home live. The Residents live in the town, the shopkeepers do not.
Try again David, but be careful NOT to isolate the support of Ron Davies for the Residents.
We do indeed need to think these through, but the important word there is WE, that is the residents who`a town this is, and their elected members at the County Council, who have responsibility for highways issues and, Assembly members.
The indoor market is NOT an asset to the town, YET, it may become an asset only if the operators of the market work with the residents to prevent conflict in regard to these parking issues,and the proper use of the town centre car parks provided for the very purpose of traders and shoppers and visitors to the town, the residential streets are not for that purpose.
Jeff Cuthbert is responding to the request of a sizeable number of voters (on parking), Ron Davies has done the same many times. This is one of the traits that has made Ron a formidable politician. Response to the electorate wins elections, which is how politicians measure performance.
Politicians are there to represent the wishes of the majority, they are not there to impose their ideas on an unwilling populace. On the particular subject of town parking why don't we have a free town car park,as in towns like Usk? Traders happy, local people able to park outside their homes. Maybe a bit too radical for some party hacks but an idea that the electorate may demand at some point.
Agree with Richard Williams – very sensible and good for tourism -coach parties visiting castle etc
david hughes seams confused in this. jeff dus not regect parcking as a concept, but the extorshenut charges that plid whants to charge for the parcking we alredy have. the parcking fees that even plide has changed its mind on and abandond its plans for charges that whould have ment extorshent chages for worcking peaple in caerphilly.
Parking in Caerphilly town has been a civic disgrace for some years, David Hughes is right, but only in some respects, for instance he says shopper and traders need somewhere to park, they already have it in the town centrwe car parks.
The problem in Caerphilly stems from the Caerphilly Council `tampering` with the parking orders over the years, the fact is that the original parking orders in the Town were for residents only, Jeff Cuthbert is simply reacting to what he has been told by the voters in the town, it maybe that this is the desire of ALL residents, but we dont know that yet as there has not yet been a meeting of residents to determine it.
One thing I am sure of though, and that is that the stance taken by Jeff Cuthbert is certainly a vote winner in the town.
David has to consider another thing, that is that transient traders must not be allowed to dictate to the residents `what is best for them`, There are solutions to the parking issue in the town, but, they will only be resolved when elected members start to listen to what the residents want, after all, there are votes in it, and votes to be lost if they dont listen.
If I could understand what your seeing, I could perhaps agree with Geraint. But we have Leighton Andrews to blame for that one .
David Hughes – I believe the saw is engaged by you in cutting off your nose despite your face.
'The town and the valley is a forest of green Ron stakes.' – Dream on. Putting two signs in one lawn doesn't count as winning, it just means you have more money than sense.
And anyone with 3 brain cells to rub together that has read the Western Mail knows it's a Nationalist paper.
@ david hughes i must ask if you post about thing i post at least get my naim right i mean it is on the same page
Can I also draw Davids attention to the fact he cannot get MY mane right in various blogs on the Caerphilly Observer
T .R .E. F. O. R.