Guardian opinion (From South Wales Guardian)

Guardian opinion

10:34am Wednesday 8th July 2009

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THIS week’s Guardian award for best PR goes to Isle of Wight council, which acted swiftly after a visitor from the Amman Valley was shown the door having had the temerity to speak Welsh in a gift shop.

Rosemary Dean of Gwaun Cae Gurwen was shocked to be asked to leave by shop manager Sue Pratley who, for some inexplicable reason, took objection to her conversing with her sister in their native tongue.

Under the circumstances, Mrs Dean might have been forgiven if she decided never to set foot on the island again.

But now the local council – understandably motivated by the avalanche of publicity the incident received – has attempted to calm the waters by offering the sisters an all-expenses paid holiday there.

We hope Mrs Dean and her sister do take the council up on its kind offer. As for Ms Pratley, hasn’t she heard of the phrase “The customer is always right”?

*** Iori Jones has ended his hunger strike outside the Senedd having been assured of a meeting in which to air long-standing grievances with Carmarthenshire County Council.

Let’s hope this meeting is sooner rather than later, as a 75-year-old pensioner should not be sitting outside the Welsh Assembly in all weathers.

But Mr Jones leaves no doubt of his determination to ensure his voice is heard. When he says he will go back on hunger strike if such a meeting does not materialise, he means it.

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