Wales v England

In 1977 I went with my old man to see Wales v England at the Cardiff Arms Park when a rugby stadium was a rugby stadium not that Millennium monstrosity, that cold, concreted, unwelcoming carbuncle in the middle of town. When everyone else will be rubbing red roses on the three white feathers I will be in hiding. Long gone are the days when I care what happens at this game. It used to be the game, as Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics sang "As long as we beat the English, we don't care". This might come as quite a shock to some, as one who writes loosely about Wales in this blog but I like England. 
Pardon? 
I like England! Dwi'n hoffi Lloegr! I like the English side of Offa's Dyke, Hereford and Shrewsbury, Shropshire is luverly. I like London, that's England isn't it? London is exciting. Liverpool and Manchester are interesting places to be. Wales is dull, dull as dishwater, everything is slow here, there is no sense of urgency. Born here, live here, die here! Only individuals and mavericks travel and stay away. Perhaps it is a matter of familiarity breeds contempt, Wales is so familiar, that I have become contemptuous of it and it of me. Bristol is nice, It has gravitas! It is so nice that Cardiff and Newport want to become part of it. The great Western Conurbation. I think if this happens, then Wales will have to let Cardiff go. We're going to have to have another Capital City because Wales is a wasteland in comparison to Cardiff. Cardiff is the Gold standard for Welsh towns and nowhere comes near but if economists and business bods want to cosy up to Bristol what happens to the rest of Wales then? Does it become poorer? What about the white elephant down the bay? The National Assembly with it's tin pot, trumped up, party political poseurs pontificating on £60,000 a year. This forthcoming General Election is not eagerly anticipated because people are more concerned with what is going on in the Middle East and West Africa. Our own political popinjays can take a running jump in comparison with these pressing global issues. Good old 'Bread & Circus' on Friday will anaesthetise us for another year. Roll on Saturday.