The Town that Welcomed a Migrant Centre (then immediately regretted it)

This is the tale of a small Welsh town named Llantwit Major where locals enthusiastically embraced a scheme to bring migrants into their community, but this did not turn out as well as they had hoped.

“Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”

This phrase does not have a single, definitive creator but it is instead a modern English phrasing of an ancient Greek concept that evolved over thousands of years. The core meaning of the phrase comes from the classical Greek concept of Atë, which is an infatuation or moral blindness sent by the gods to punish human hubris. The earliest recorded variation appears in Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone (c. 441 BC), where a chorus remarks that evil eventually seems good to a man whose mind a god is leading to ruin. Sophocles noted even then that it was an old and famous maxim – possibly existing for hundreds of years before he used the term. However, the phrase finally took its exact, modern-day form in 19th-century American literature with the Reverend William Anderson Scott publishing the phrase exactly as it is written today in his book Daniel, a Model for Young Men, which was published in 1854, he called it a “heathen proverb”.

The phrase means that pride and blind arrogance often cause people to make foolish decisions that lead to their own self-destruction. It describes a psychological pattern where someone becomes so disconnected from reality that their downfall becomes inevitable. The “madness” referenced in the phrase is actually hubris, rather than some form of clinical insanity. As such, the word “madness” can refer to an overwhelming pride, reckless overconfidence, or an inability to listen to reason. When people become too powerful, too comfortable or too sure of themselves, they often begin to believe that they are infallible, and this mindset makes them blind to dangers that seem obvious to others. Whilst the phrase mentions “the gods”, the actual destruction suffered by those who have gone “mad” is self-inflicted. The “gods” simply allow the flawed judgment of the individual or the group to ruin them.

This phrase is one that can often be applied to a group of people before they experience some form of fall or societal catastrophe. It can also be accurately observed that before a wider societal or civilisational collapse there does indeed appear to be a period of social madness – a time when people cling to certain practices or beliefs that actually pose a threat to their continued existence. Often the ruling elite engage in behaviours or pass laws that at one time would have been classed as either insane, immoral or degenerate, and government led legislative changes often pave the way for the collapse which follows. As such, the “madness” referenced earlier could be a system of beliefs or an ideology that causes a people to refuse to listen to reason and to in fact embrace their own demise. This hubris can now be observed amongst many people of European descent.

There is probably no better modern application for this “heathen proverb” than as a means to describe white liberals. These champions of social justice are so desperate to endorse a progressive ideology and to embrace people from other racial and cultural groups, that it often leads to their downfall. So convinced are white liberals not only of the nobility of their cause, but they are also totally sure that when their beliefs and theories are applied in the real world that they will result in the establishment of a rainbow utopia in which all people will live in blissful harmony. This is why the truth to these people is like garlic to a vampire. As such, no amount of facts, figures or even real-world examples of the potential pitfalls that could result from enacting the policies they support can dissuade the white liberal from their political path. And often, the hubris of white liberals can lead to their downfall, and sometimes, this affects more than a lone individual, sometimes, this hubris leads to the downfall of an entire community.

And on the South Coast of Wales, in a small seaside town named Llantwit Major, it could be said that the residents became the living embodiment of this “heathen proverb”, that they went “mad” – however this madness was definitely not the work of the gods. The madness that had taken over the minds of the people of Llantwit Major was a form of suicidal hubris that sprang forth from their misplaced beliefs in tolerance, diversity and multiculturalism. And it was their faith in these beliefs that caused them to embrace their own demise in a desperate attempt to prove how progressive and open minded they were. This is the story of a small Welsh town of less than 10,000 people who willingly and enthusiastically welcomed a swamping number of migrants into their community and how their overwhelming arrogance resulted in a migrant camp being built in the very centre of their tiny, and previously homogenous, Welsh community.

But this wasn’t just a case of blind virtue signalling – it was possibly the most glaring example of liberal hubris on a group level that has been witnessed in recent years. The residents of Llantwit were warned of their impending fate, but not only did they ignore these warnings, but they besmirched and attacked those who they should have heeded. When it was announced that migrants would be headed to Llantwit, many nationalists were eager to help the town’s residents, and plans were made to arrange a demonstration in the area in order to assist the locals in pushing back against the proposals. But the hubris of the townsfolk caused them to reject this generous offer of help, and instead, those who wished to warn local residents of the dangers posed by such a scheme were met with resistance. This local resistance was so strong that the BBC ran a glowing article praising the people of Llantwit titled: “Patriotic Alternative: The town fighting the far-right with Welsh cakes.”

This nauseating article, gushed about the ‘community’ response and enthusiastically chronicled how a rag tag group of locals including the usual busy bodies, liberal do-gooders and even the priest of the local church all came together to stop the nationalists from spreading a message of “hate and division” in the small town. The townsfolk were desperate to prove to the world that not only were they welcoming and tolerant, but they were also completely opposed to any form of ‘division’ that might be brought into their soon-to-be diverse town. And what better way to prove just how tolerant they really were than to hold a special event, one that would be branded as a “day of kindness”. The BBC enthusiastically wrote the following about this event: “The day will kick off with an overnight vigil at the church the night before, he said, followed by a Welsh cake giveaway during the day. Another church will also open a space during the day for anyone feeling anxious about Patriotic Alternative.”

The townsfolk wanted the world to know, they weren’t anxious about the arrival of their new neighbours, instead, any anxiety in the town was caused solely by those who were attempting to spread hatred and division by claiming that the migrant scheme could cause problems in the small community. To counter the hate mongers, a special safe space was set up, so residents could sit together, shielded from ideas and opinions that might have harmed them. These liberals knew the real truth of the matter: ideas, words and thoughts are what could really hurt the townsfolk, not the migrants. The residents of Llantwit were so sure about their decision to welcome migrants into their community that common sense became their greatest enemy. Local residents had truly gone “mad”. But those whom the gods make mad, are, according to the well-known proverb, soon to be destroyed. And it wouldn’t be long before those who attended the “day of kindness” faced the realities brought about by their hubris.

For a short time, spirits were high in Llantwit, and it wasn’t long after this “day of kindness” that the local busy bodies declared victory. The fascists had been defeated, driven away by a community that were united by a welcoming and progressive spirit. Love and tolerance had won the day and the local townsfolk were now ready to put on an entirely different welcoming party; it was of course time to roll out the red carpet for the ‘small’ number of ‘refugees’ that would be coming to the area. After all, locals had been assured by the government and the media; it was only going to be 90 Ukrainian refugees who would be staying on a temporary basis; surely, fewer than 100 people couldn’t be that much of a problem? It was obvious to these true believers; the tolerant and welcoming community of Llantwit could absorb these few needy folk, and residents would undoubtedly live in harmony with their new neighbours and this little town would set an example for the rest of the country.

What’s more, as far as the eager supporters of the migrant scheme were concerned, another wonderful opportunity had presented itself. There was a large unused site sat at the heart of the town where an old school used to stand, why not house the migrants there? The site wasn’t in use any more, and local liberal do-gooders knew that this would be the ultimate statement: housing the migrants at the very centre of their community, going forward the refugees would be at the very heart of Llantwit. And what could possibly go wrong – how could a few young and undoubtedly beautiful Ukrainian women darken the Llantwit’s beautiful landscape? After all, who wouldn’t want to welcome a few dozen beautiful young women from Eastern Europe into their town? And that was the exact demographic who were headed to Llantwit – the government had assured local people of this. The delusional fascists who had dared to question the scheme would surely have egg all over their hate-filled faces when the people of Llantwit welcomed these Ukrainian women.

But a little over a year on from Llantwit’s glorious victory over the fascists, and news started coming out of the small seaside town about how the refugee resettlement scheme was panning out. And to say that the townsfolk were disappointed in the way the migrant scheme had played out is probably the understatement of the year. The site of the old school had not in fact been used to build tasteful accommodation that was in keeping with the local area. Quite the opposite, the site had been transformed into what looked like a prison camp with towering ugly grey containers erected in a geometric pattern. What’s more, the estimate of 90 people appeared to be a miscalculation, or maybe a typographical error, as it turned out that what officials really meant was 90 housing units. And the 90 ugly towering container units that had been crammed into the site of the old school were not only an eyesore, but they directly overlooked the homes and gardens of local residents.

It certainly didn’t look like the units were built to house single white females, but instead it looked as if they were built for entire families – or maybe groups of people. But why would groups of people need to be housed together? Surely the young Ukrainian men were busy fighting the Russian army in Eastern Ukraine? This is when another small issue with the original plans came to light. Whilst the war in Ukraine was the big news story at the time the camp was being planned and voted on, by the time it had actually opened the big issue had become small boats crossing the English Channel. And these small boats were filled with young men of fighting age who had come from Africa and the Middle East. The dream of young, beautiful Ukrainian women wandering around Llantwit eating Welsh cakes and sunning themselves on the beach seemed to be fading fast.

As the reality of the scheme dawned on locals, the much celebrated “day of kindness” seemed like a distant memory and many local residents had now begun to change their tune. Talk in the town had altered dramatically and residents were no longer celebrating the historic defeat of those lying fascists who had come from out of town. As it turns out, the ‘rotten racists’ that were ‘bused in’ hadn’t been “spreading lies and misinformation” as they were accused of by both the media and local busy-bodies. The nationalists weren’t “stirring up hatred” and “scaremongering” with “unfounded rumours” – they were in fact telling the truth. Well, mostly. The nationalists had in fact made one rather noticeable error when they had attempted to warn Llantwit residents of what would happen to the town – the nationalists had actually understated the size and scale of the nightmare that local people would end up having to live with. Rather tellingly, even the ‘fascists’ didn’t think the migrant camp would be as bad as it turned out to be.

But remember the triumphant article from the BBC that was quoted earlier – the article that chronicled the way that local residents defeated the ‘fascists’ with a “day of kindness”? Handily, the BBC actually wrote a follow-up piece, where they again went around the town and spoke to local Llantwit residents. However, this time, those residents seemed rather less smug and the tone of the interviews was markedly different. The BBC article featured an interview with a local man named Steve McGranaghan, a retired RAF engineer. Steve had been all in favour of housing ‘refugees’, so much so, that he had even offered to let them stay in his own home. However Steve was now having second thoughts, and it’s fair to say that his levels of enthusiasm for the migrant scheme had waned rather considerably. A portion of the article that features the interview with Steve is reproduced below:

A new housing development in a seaside town has been compared to a prison by locals who say it has also been built too close to their homes.

A total of 90 temporary homes have been constructed on the site of a former school in Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan.

The Vale council says it is for Ukrainian refugees and the site was allocated for housing in the local development plan (LDP), but residents with gardens backing on to it call it “overbearing”.

“It looks like I’m living next door to a storage container yard,” said Steve McGranaghan, a retired RAF engineer.

“My biggest concern is they are too close to me. They should be 21 metres (69ft) away under planning guidelines and they’re less than 10 metres (33ft) away.

“If they’d built 72 houses which is in the LDP, I’d have no issue.

“I’m not someone who says ‘not in my back yard’.”

He claimed they would no longer be used for Ukrainian refugees.

“Nobody has been able to challenge this,” he said. “I volunteered to host a Ukrainian family, so we didn’t have an issue at first.

“Now our concern is this won’t be for housing Ukrainians, and it’ll become housing stock and won’t be temporary.

“If there was a bad way to do something the Vale of Glamorgan council have chosen the worst possible way to do it.”

The massive site of the former school is now packed with ugly container units filled with migrants, and unfortunately, the homes are no longer being described as ‘temporary’; it appears that they are now a permanent fixture in Llantwit. What’s more, these homes won’t be used for Ukrainian women, that boat has sailed. Unfortunately for Steve McGranaghan, he isn’t going to be doffing his cap to the beautiful Svetlana when he goes out to walk the dog and pick up the morning papers. In fact, quite the opposite, Steve will no doubt be clutching his mobile phone as he dodges gangs of what the BBC usually terms as ‘youths’. What’s more, all those diverse and needy ‘youths’ will have a perfect view into the homes and gardens of local residents, as the towering container homes that were erected so swiftly directly overlook the rear of many of the houses that border the site of the former school. What could possibly go wrong?

But at least things couldn’t get any worse – or could they? Well as it happens, the site of the former school was meant to be turned into a new state-of-the-art medical care centre for local people who are currently struggling to get an appointment with a local doctor. Many residents had been complaining about the length of waiting lists in order to see a local GP. The planned medical centre that would have been at the very heart of Llantwit was meant to alleviate pressure on local amenities and dramatically cut waiting times to see a doctor. But in a further unfortunate twist, not only will there now no longer be a new medical centre, but the overstretched local health care services will have even more patients to deal with. What’s more, due to the nature of the new arrivals, local authorities will now also have to make special provisions to accommodate those who need interpreters and who have special religious or cultural needs.

But in a final ironic twist, one of the local councillors in Llantwit who voted for the migrant centre – a man named Gwyn John – is one of those who has suffered because of the very scheme he enthusiastically championed. Gwyn is an elderly man and was in need of medical care, and he went running to the local press crying that when he rang his local GP, he ended up at number 32 in a queue of other callers who were all on hold, so long was his wait that he eventually gave up before ever speaking to a doctor. Gwyn John would have absolutely benefited from a state-of-the-art medical centre being built at the heart of Llantwit. Instead, he voted for a scheme that resulted a in migrant centre being built in its place. Who could have possibly predicted that those who voted for the migrant centre would have ended up making life worse for themselves? Well, the ‘fascists’ did, but they were the one group that was told that they weren’t welcome in the town.

It is interesting to hear exactly what Councillor Gwyn John had to say when the motion in support of the migrant scheme was put before the local council. Gwyn proudly and defiantly stated: “Make no mistake about it, we are supporting this motion tonight and we will oppose any racist behaviour in our town. The group are very strong in opposing any right-wing activity in our town in the future.” Not only was Gwyn John one of the ‘true believers’ – one of those who were eager for the site to be used as a migrant centre – but part of his reasoning for this was because he wanted to prove the ‘fascists’ wrong. Gwyn John’s overconfidence, pride and arrogance were indeed the causes of his own downfall, so much so, that when looking up the word ‘hubris’ in a dictionary, the small illustration accompanying the definition could well be a portrait of Gwyn.

The tale of the Llantwit migrant centre is one of pure hubris. A small, homogenous and peaceful community, that was so idyllic that many viewed the town as a perfect retirement location, was undeniably changed for the worse. But this change wasn’t simply mandated by central government, instead it was embraced and championed by local residents who were so consumed by a desire to prove how progressive, welcoming and tolerant they were, that they ended up with a sprawling container housing complex at the centre of their once picturesque town. The townsfolk’s hubris was so great that they even held a “day of kindness” in order to ‘chase off’ those who tried to warn them of their folly. How the local residents smiled and laughed as one of them wandered around Llantwit dressed as a Welsh cake for the day – but the smiles soon faded when the reality of the scheme was made clear. In the end, the residents of Llantwit who cheered on the migrant scheme didn’t end up creating a rainbow utopia, but instead they became the living embodiment of the old proverb; “those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”

FINAL NOTE: My only lasting hope is that when things do go wrong in the small town of Llantwit, that it is the people like the smug moron who dressed up as a Welsh cake and the pompous local councillors and busy bodies who bear the brunt of the problems. Undeniably, there will still be well-meaning folk in Llantwit who were opposed to the migrant centre. But sadly, those people were beaten into silence by the liberal morons who screamed ‘racist’ at anyone and everyone who wished for sanity to prevail.