Twitter, the social media site, is already ten years old. Frightening. I can clearly remember it starting up - it was only four or five of years ago, surely? My life is like that now - the binman seemingly comes every couple of days, not every week and the credit card bill hits my hallway every fortnight instead of every month.
The Senedd too is just ten years' old. What a coincidence. And both full of too many people who like the sound of their own voice.
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But not everything moves at such a bewildering pace. Like a hibernating tortoise or a brumating viper, some Twitter accounts lie dormant for long periods. Then they suddenly wake up again. (Isn't it like that with the Neath Ferret - Ed?)
You may have wondered where Councillor David Lewis, known affectionately (?) as Finbarr to Neath Ferret readers, has been hiding since the Editor started handing out Yellow and Red cards. Well, wonder no more because, like the Messiah, he is resurrected. (I only wish I could find out what has happened to my good pal, the Ynysarwed Donkey, but there you are, you see. He maintains his privacy by not broadcasting on social media).
After joining Twitter in September 2011 and mysteriously having a first tweet in February 2012 of just "Bethan Jenkins" , DAVID LEWIS @DAVIDDavidlewis made only his third tweet in November 2015. It's a brief conversation between him and prospective Neath AM for Welsh Labour, Jeremy Miles. To see it all don't forget to click on "Show more" after opening the tweet.
https://twitter.com/Jeremy_Miles/status/662356443035795456
Jeremy Miles now lives in Alltwen. I'd have thought Alltwen has been Labour forever, not just the 30 plus years referred to in Finbarr's tweet, so I'm guessing that timeframe equates to his tenure as Labour councillor there. Note the tweet is endorsed "Cllr David Lewis". Not Labour Councillor now though it would seem.
Why Finbarr wants to post publicly on Twitter after all this time your guess is as good as mine. But why use Twitter to remind Miles that Catherine Lewis/Weller is his daughter? Personally if I wanted to tell someone that a person they presumably knew was one of my kids, well, I'd have done it face to face because otherwise you can't complain when everyone knows your business. If their paths have crossed professionally, or they know each other socially, and you want to broadcast that to the world - go ahead. Otherwise I'd have thought it better kept off social media.
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A Catherine Weller (there can't be too many in the South Wales area) used to work for Neath Port Talbot Council as a Programme Manager, was seconded to the Welsh Assembly, and now works as the Director of Strategy and Governance and Head of New Business at Grwp Gwalia Cyf (of Gwalia Housing fame).
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/catherine-weller-4134a646
So maybe the aspiring new Labour AM dealt professionally with the Gwalia organisation as part of his work as a solicitor within the local communities and that's where the connection was made.
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Finbarr has taken to Twitter again in January 2016, this time with a vengeance, having a dig I guess at the former Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, whose time in post he refers to as "the reign of the bully".
https://twitter.com/DAVIDDavidlewis/with_replies
It's well known to readers of the Ferret and in Labour circles that there is no love lost between the two. Readers may recall the spat between Andrews and the WJEC over the regrading of GCSE papers. And who was Acting Chair of the WJEC during that time?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23525377
I'm not sure if Andrews has a lot of friends in the local Councils anyway. They certainly seem to be dragging their feet on his initiative for local government reorganisation. But I guess they would, wouldn't they? Expecting Councils to volunteer themselves out of existence is like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas, my mate Mohammed to join you for a full English breakfast, or Tata to continue to accept a loss of £1m a day on its Port Talbot plant. It ain't gonna happen.
But what an intriguing proposition a boxing match would be (Marquis of Queensbury rules of course) between these two larger than life characters. That would be a scrap I'd buy a ticket for. FIGHTING out of the Red corner (naturally) - Leighton ("The Bully") Andrews. And FIGHTING out of what was the Red corner - David ("The Whipper") Lewis. There wouldn't be an empty seat and I'd be more than happy to promote it for a modest fee. 
In fact - for bugger all. As Jeremy Miles will almost certainly be in the Donkey Sanctuary after May, and there's a good chance "The Bully" will still be there too, it seems to me Jeremy would be the perfect intermediary, or actually referee for such a bout. There's no greater comedy (surely "tragedy" - Ed) than seeing two old Labour pugs thinking they can still mix it up.
