Check out this excellent link on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It gives you an opportunity to ‘move’ the spill on Google maps and place it over a region you know well. I typed in Anglesey only to see that the spill would actually cover the whole of Wales and more. If one wasn’t aware of the enormity of the situation beforehand, then this map certainly presses the point home.

The thing that strikes me most about the whole terrible saga is the lack of planning that went into any potential accident. The well lies at an astounding depth on the ocean floor – so deep that it is now proving impossible for anyone to actually go down there and deal with the problem. Now why did no one think of this when they planned the project? Were they so confident of there being no accident that they thought any intervention would be unnecessary? Or were they just hoping for the best?

Despite all our best endeavours, accidents happen. We get the best engineers, the best tools, the best materials and we are confident that the safety aspects are second to none. But still accidents happen. So why did no one have a plan to deal with this potential accident? Did no one ask the question, ‘If this thing snaps on the ocean floor how are we going to deal with the spill?’

Here on Anglesey there are plans to build a second nuclear power station on the island. Most people welcome the project with open arms – though if the employment situation was better maybe people would think twice. Again we can be sure that the very best minds are involved in designing this plant and that they have safety at the forefront of their plans. They will do everything to ensure nothing goes wrong. I have complete confidence in that. But accidents happen. And if an accident were to happen resulting in nuclear material being released into the atmosphere what are the plans for dealing with this? Until I hear a good answer to this question then I think my vote will be against such a project. So far the answer to the question has been, ‘This plant will be safe; there will be no accidents’. And as the people on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico can now testify – that won’t do.