Do you want to be part of Wales?

Audlem Online is starting a new Vote Poll today asking 'Would you like Audlem to apply to be part of Wales?' Regular readers will recall one of our April Fool stories was on this very theme. As we said in a light-hearted piece, becoming part of Wales would bring major benefits – free prescriptions; free parking at NHS hospitals, and a Grand Slam winning rugby team. The major Parish Plan project to build a sports centre in Audlem would also be realised almost immediately as every Welsh village with more than ten dwellings has a large Sports Centre.

By an amazing coincidence, the Government announced on the very same day that prescription charges would be raised in England – they were reduced in Scotland by £2 that same day and it was confirmed they would remain free in Wales. Also on the same day, Leighton Hospital doubled some of its parking charges – it now costs £3 to park for more than 20 minutes and £10 overnight. Parking remains free at all Welsh hospitals.

The poll will be seen, we hope, as a humorous way to make a very serious point. Nobody in England, we suspect, wants to take away the many benefits the Welsh, and even more the Scots enjoy. We'd just like the same benefits – as all three countries pay the same level of tax. A 'Yes' vote in the Audlem Poll may attract widespread publicity and send out a serious message to the Government.

One Audlem resident did suggest we applied be an 'on-shore' island of Scotland. Then we would also get free university education; free care for the elderly and road tolls would be slashed – many bridge tolls have been abolished in Scotland in recent years. In contrast, our nearest toll on the M6 at Cannock has been more than doubled from £2 to £4.50 since the road opened in late 2003.

It's a long way to Scotland however, and we think the Welsh proposal is more practical. After all, the border is a mere nine miles away and the Government has shown how easy it is to change, or create new borders with the controversial decision to split Cheshire in two.

We do have to confess that our April 1st suggestion that Audlem's Welsh name of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilioshroppieflygogogoch was only a joke, as was our translation as "The church of St James by the hawthorn lined canal and the Shroppie Fly with the narrow road used by juggernauts from all over the world." Mind you, keep reading AudlemOnline – we are announcing some important news about the A525 shortly which, we hope, will bring as big a smile to Audlem as our new Vote Poll.

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