Old people need to lighten up
A WELSH Assembly member has been officially commended for a late night drinking session at a luxury hotel with a ‘mystery’ woman.
71-year-old Labour AM Keith Davies has been honored by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales after the incident at the St David’s Hotel in Cardiff in April.
A report by Sarah Rochira details the OAP AM’s behaviour while staying at the five star hotel including ordering bottles of wine at 5am and making so much noise with his unidentified lady friend that other guests felt forced to complain.
Ms Rochira said the Llanelli member had been active in challenging the perception that the elderly don’t like staying out all night, getting rat arsed or generally enjoying themselves in the way normally associated with much younger people.
Staff were also subjected to ‘abuse and threats’ from the woman and Mr Davies when they returned to the hotel after a night out at 4:45am on April 24.
There were also numerous complaints from other guests about the noise from room 408, occupied by the married father-of-two, and his ‘guest’.
The woman, who has not been identified, also made ‘foul-mouthed detrimental comments about the hotel… witnessed by numerous guests from the lobby’, the report said.
It adds there had also been ‘an indication that the AM did not intend to pay the bill’, which was a bluff because the Assembly pays for AMs who do not live in Cardiff to stay at the top hotel while the body is sitting.
In a letter the pensioner admitted he was ‘affected by alcohol’ and his behaviour was ‘well different’ to that expected from an assembly member or anyone of his age.
“I was fuckin’ hangin’ and givin’ it large ,” Mr Davies wrote: “I was well hammered. Have it.”
Ms Rochira said: “Cardiff has developed a worldwide reputation for this kind of behaviour but sadly the image portrayed in the media is that this is exclusive to young people.
“Mr Davies has shown that age should be no barrier to going out drinking in Cardiff city centre, bringing a bird back to your hotel, drinking even more and generally acting in an anti-social manner. You can think what you like but no-one can accuse Keith of being an old codger, he’s a legend.”
A motion asking AMs to endorse the recommendation will go before the Senedd chamber on May 16.
However some AMs are understood to be annoyed that the official commendation has drawn attention to the fact that tax payers are picking up the bill for them to stay at one of Wales’ most exclusive hotels.
Mr Davies said he was so pleased with the award he would now pay the hotel bill himself.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17997345
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