Logistical Problem Solved

Along with the political hype and security accompanying the NATO summit
in Newport, is a certain amount of off-course speculation. It is hard to say
if that is more to do with people putting arms and legs on zero
information, or if the security people have thrown us snippets of false
information to baffle the Evil One.

For example, two different Cardiff tour guides, one on a sightseeing bus
and the other on a round-the-bay cruise, told us that an American
warship was tying up in the Roath Basin to look after us during the
Obama stay, and that the man himself would be sleeping in the St Davids
Hotel, which had snipers on the roof.

Look as we might, we spotted no snipers. Mind you, if you do spot a
sniper hes a no good sniper. Snipers are invisible. Its in the job
description. So we cant disprove that theory.

What we did see was a massive destroyer in the Basin and a group of
American sailors on shore leave, wandering round the cafes. Well... it said
US on their uniforms. And they all wore NATO baseball caps. (Mind you,
at the moment, every second soul in South Wales wears a NATO baseball
cap). But when we got to the Basin to have a look at the American ship,
it turned out to be HMS Duncan, D37, the newest of the Daring Class,
type 45 destroyers. And there she is...



Yep, there she is, and she means business. The two 10 foot walls of steel
mesh that run the length of the quay are reinforced by concrete. So the
Evil One will not be able to charge alongside with a cartload of explosives.

And, as if by coincidence, a rapid-fire Gatlin-style machine gun is lined up
with the one street that could pose a weak link. And it is definitely
manned; ie the gun, not the street.



Another mystery is presence of a Lativan mine-hunter, Viesturs M-05, in
the Basin. The picture below is a rapid reaction shot because, for a
moment, I thought I had spotted the Evil One diving on the Basin
disguised as a bat. But, to my great relief, it turned out to be a cormorant
on the wing. The pressure is getting to me.



Im no expert on these matters, but I doubt if there are many mines in
roath Basin, but, come to think of it, there is a miner. So this raises the
question; did NATO hit a language problem and despatch a mine hunter
to...? Never mind.



The other big mystery, and I mean big, is the sheer volume of the police
presence. Police are everywhere; on the land and on the water; under the
water and in the air. There are police boats patrolling the bay; helicopters
chopping overhead; posses of police in high viz jackets, whizzing round
the streets on bikes like swarms of wasps; police frogmen in the docks;
police stood on every corner from Newport to Barry; smaller groups, in
high viz jackets and NATO-blue baseball caps, reflecting the Autumn sun
like mixed bunches of bluebells and daffodils on a Tescos forecourt; there
are even police on horses.

If I was honest, police in themselves are not a mystery. And, I suppose,
the sheer number of police is not a mystery. Because, in the end, all
these police have existed for a long time. And, logically, every policeman
and woman in existence, has to be somewhere. Its just that I couldnt
see them. But now I can. So the mystery to me is... how did they all
suddenly pop up here?

So, the whole mystery surrounding this NATO summit boils down to
how did all these millions of police suddenly pop up in South Wales? The
transport system simply couldnt cope.

Then, at last, as I stood on the pier head, scratching my head and
pondering that very problem. I suddenly saw the answer...