Daran Hill is a political commentator and also manages Wales' fastest growing public affairs firm, Positif Politics, which he founded in 2006. After twelve years in the profession, he is one of the most authoritative public affairs consultants in Wales, and is well-connected across the political spectrum. In 2011 Daran was the Campaign Director of Yes for Wales, the cross party and non party campaign which united Wales in securing primary legislative powers for the Assembly. In 1997 he was National Organiser of the similar campaign which won the referendum that led to the establishment of the National Assembly. He is also a past Chair of Public Affairs Cymru, the umbrella body for public affairs professionals in Wales, and is respected and well known throughout Welsh civic life. He is a Trustee of the Bevan Foundation, a Fellow of the Institute of Welsh Affairs and a member of the Consultative Committee of the Welsh Political Archive at the National Library of Wales.
Sgint – Sherman Cymru 
AWEMA – a failure of governance 
The show must go on 
The Welsh re-Development Agency 
An excuse to do nothing 
YESTERDAY I received two emails directing me to quite the funniest Youtube video I have seen in a very long time. Today two more have arrived. And the senders in the main didn’t even know I was going to spend yesterday afternoon in the great city of Newport.
If you haven’t seen this video yet, you’re obviously not receiving emails from the right people.
Take five and enjoy…
Tags: Newport, Youtube
Tweet This
Share on Facebook
Digg This
Bookmark
Stumble
22 Comments
Whatever Newport can do, the Valleys can do better…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM3EoGvR-7U
I laughed so much a little bit of wee came out.
hmmm… that Abercarn video has nicked one of my photos… if I didn’t know the buggers I’d call in the Feds.
Someone said “I hope that Newport Video becomes an official Visit Wales tourism video” to which I responded “Christ I hope not……”
Sorry. The GLC did this so much better a decade ago, and were actually from Newport.
“Big up to Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Assembly”
I enjoyed it. I even played it twice. I actually understood most of the lyrics.
Although I haven’t visited Newport for many moons I’m quite fond of our third largest city – warts and all!
“warts and all”
But this is it. Why ‘warts and all’?
Newport can be a pretty horrid place, having grew up in its social life, lived and as a near daily visitor. But what price that being the case in most places? Indeed, it is also a brilliant place, full of characters, nice people and dare I see some beautiful places. Like most places?
This outsider view, this cartoon pastiche of Newport just buries the truth for the sake of an easy hit.
Perhaps I am taking it too seriously, but in respect of promoting ourselves positively, being known as some grubby chav hotspot that people who probably never been down Somerton can score an easy hit off is not exactly something that fills me with pride.
Yep. You’re taking it too seriously Marcus.
Meh, novelty chav raps about Newport reached their zenith around 2002/2003 with the GLC, and frankly it’s all been downhill since then.
“Yep. You’re taking it too seriously Marcus.”
Sorry Rob, I don’t think I am. Some of us remember this stuff when it was original, passed around on tapes by actual Newport people. It was fun then, and real. The GLC never mentioned Newport once the dimwits got hold of them.
So when a decade later a load of turks jump up on as some bandwagon, and every dog and his human owner starts declaring this a work of brilliance…it gets a tad boring, and the originals have every right to decry it from the newbies.
@Marcus – The GLC comparison wasn’t missed by me, or indeed the vast majority of people!
That something a bit similar was done by someone else in the past (probably better), doesn’t make this video not funny. And isn’t it a bit weird to bang on about originality with regards to this tune anyway? Particularly as it’s a parody and therefore not meant to be original? If you only listen to entirely original music you’re not going to be listening to much are you?
You didn’t find it funny. Well there you go – lots and lots of people did. It’s a matter of taste, that’s that. And apparently it went down quiet well in Newport….which is, of course, the main thing. Perhaps the best thing about it is that it inspired me to revisit GLC which I’m sure we can agree is a good thing!
No such thing as bad publicity.
First time i saw it I thought it was an “outside job” but I still (as someone who knows little of Casnewydd)
thought it very funny. It doesn’t seem like a put down and it appears to have made lot of people a bit happier, not least in Newport.
Are happier people more confident?
On the run up and day of our referendum maybe it’ll be worth getting a few requests to play this one on local radio. After all it’s hearts not heads that apparently win referendums. “Big up to … the Welsh Assembly”.
“, that’s that. And apparently it went down quiet well in Newport….which is, of course, the main thing.”
On what Measurement is that?
I am a regular on the number one music forum for the area, and it got panned…hard. It was the same with the GLC. Those who supported the GLC from the off, were critical of the album coming out without Newport really being involved. But of course, I needed pointing out the facf that people might compare this to the GLC…thanks!
Like I said, I am willing to accept your view on it, and my over seriousness. But your version of the GLC is not the Newport GLC, it was the signed GLC who never referenced Newport. That is not a slight on you of course, merely pointing out that some of us enjoyed this a decade ago, and watching every tom, dick and Seimon ramming it down our throats via every social media orifice can be a bit tickly!
I wonder if this kind of music video poking fun at ourselves could have been made 20 years ago. Or if it were made twenty years ago, what would its reception have been?
What I’m getting at is that this kind of self-depreciative humour is an by-product of increasing national maturity and self-confidence.
Twenty years ago, long before Kool Kymru and a Prif Weinidog, we may have not had the backbone to laugh at ourselves.
@Marcus – Quite a few of the comments on the YouTube video purported to be from people who were from or are from Newport, and they seemed positive. Not scientific though, and I didn’t spend a long time reading them – so I could easily be proved wrong.
The trouble with music forums, however, is that they tend to be frequented by musical snobs (a vast generalisation, I know) or pretensious muso types, so I doubt that forum you refer to is representative either.
I will admit that when I first heard the song my first thought was that it suffered from the same stereotyped Gavin and Stacey characterisation of Welsh people as a bit daft. But I couldn’t find it in my heart to get wound up about it as it seems so affectionate a portrait.
And you’re being a bit harsh on the GLC, aren’t you? Nothing can compare to the seminal genius represented by ‘Your Mother’s Got a Penis’….can it?
Ps. Eds. It’d be nice to see a think piece about this video, maybe Mr Warner could write it?
Rob,
Happy to accommodate. Marcus – do you fancy it?
“Twenty years ago, long before Kool Kymru and a Prif Weinidog, we may have not had the backbone to laugh at ourselves.”
Very insightful comment observation, FreeWales
Hi Guys,
@Rob
I am not giving credence to it, but thanks for the offer. I urge you to check out actual Welsh Hip Hop – I wrote about it here no less – http://waleshome.org/2009/12/the-associates/
“Despite the success of Newport’s Goldie Looking Chain, Mayor argues that it “fitted nicely with the mainstream national view of chavs and the Welsh and our working class. Those two things leave people thinking.”Wales? It’s got good hip-hop music? You’re joking.’”
A quote from the article. Exactly what I mean.
Ultimately this just means another few years of struggling hip hop artists across South Wales getting asked about some charlatans writing a pretty generalised song about Wales (it is not really newport focused). It is hugely frustrating for artists, particularly as we have such a strong hip hop scene comparitively, when they get asked about the GLC.
“The trouble with music forums, however, is that they tend to be frequented by musical snobs (a vast generalisation, I know) or pretensious muso types, so I doubt that forum you refer to is representative either. ”
Hmm. This forum has been going a decade, thousands of members, and would say that every South Wales success story from the Lost Prophets onwards would have posted or been part of that forum. It is these ‘snobs’ that actually make the music, put on the gigs, lose the money, put Wales on the map…then watch some gubber start telling us about how rad this diluted version of the GLC is.
Some the GLC I know personally, good luck to them and their elbow. Hell, there even used to be beef that most of them were never from Newport anyway? “Paul Flynn, he loves the draw”
I am a snob, I am passionate about independent Welsh music, I support with my time and with my wallet. What jonny come latelys start telling me so, I feel vindication and no shortage of protection for the stuff I loved when others didn’t.
Find me a person who is not protective of something they are passionate about.
Ultimately, if 10% of the time and energy from this parody video from English actors with baaad impressions of my local accent was used by Welsh people to support Welsh music…well how much more positive would things be?
Support Welsh Music, not shit parodies of people taking the piss out of us.
Marcus,
There may be a good piece in the right way to highlight or celebrate ‘low’ culture, and whether it is right to parody such things. I think there’s also a good piece to be had in what recessions do to creativity. Don’t worry, I’m not twisting your arm, but I remember very well the excellent piece you wrote for us on downloading and wouldn’t mind capturing that insight at some point again in the future.
Diolch yn fawr.
Thanks Dunc. Will think on.
Daran
First Newport, now Ruthin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX6k07NIhvI&feature=player_embedded
Where next?
..and have we seen nothing yet…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx8CZyFM4b4