Caught out behind the pavilion

We hear that an otherwise dull Swansea council meeting provided a brief spot of entertainment when a head-case particularly erratic Labour backbencher - known amongst his colleagues as “Desperate Den” - made a right private member of himself in trying to persuade his peers that he honestly and truly was opposed to the idea of pulling down some park pavilion building.

His protests came after deputy leader John Hague revealed how the Labour chap was supposed to have previously agreed in private to the demolition but was now saying something quite different to placate locals sitting in the public gallery (as if). Uproar followed when the blustering backbencher claimed the allegations were simply spite because he had reneged on a promise to back the deputy leader’s planning application earlier in the week. Basically speaking.

It reportedly took a fair bit of gavel banging from the presiding officer to eventually drown out the exchanges of “Judas” and “twat” and assorted jeers; and for a time the respective party leaders appeared just as ineffective in reining in their frothing colleagues. We understand however that no action is envisaged against either councillor for their disorderly behaviour.

The same cannot be said about a separate complaint that has purportedly been made against the back-bencher for swearing at support staff during an unrelated but equally out of control outburst a few weeks ago.