The 'Iron Ring' would be a blow to Wales - but will our politicians listen?

lots of very pertinent points. But the one about using a "local" artist is a sticky issue. Using the right artist to create the most appropriate work is important. If it is always the "local" artists, then no artist will ever make work outside of the arbitary borders of theor local - town, county, region, country.... On the other hand sometimes a local artist is best and it helps the art economy locally

This whole episode is insulting to the extreme! Just like asking the descendants of American slaves trade to pay for artwork to celebrate the KKK. Also please tell me how giving a contract and huge sums of money to a London firm in any ways helps to regenerate Flint.

I've complained to Cadw, through their online form and received a copy and paste note back to their statement on the 24th

If only history was as simple and straightforward as we like to believe it is. When I was a boy, growing up in South Wales, the symbols of English oppression around me weren't towering castles or crumbling fortresses, but the ugly slag heaps that I played on and the narrow, overcrowded terraces where we lived. Then, as I began to read a bit, I discovered that Welshmen could be grasping iron-masters, too; our own gentry was every bit as privileged as the English toffs; and in Tredegar, only a few decades before I was born, the townspeople sparked off riots against the Jews living in that town that spread outwards even to my own valley. So then, what about the history and symbolism of this Iron Ring? Does it simply represent the unwarranted conquest of a small country by its bullying neighbour, or is there more to the story? In 1278, in Worcester Cathedral, on the Feast of St Edward, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd married Eleanor de Montfort, a niece of Edward the First's father, Henry the Third. Edward, king himself by now, attended the wedding and paid for the banquet. Actually, though, Llywelyn had married Eleanor by proxy some years before, because Simon de Montfort, her father, had offered her to Llywelyn in return for the support of his Welsh forces in the barons' revolt. Simon was killed in the Battle of Evesham; Llywelyn had backed a loser, and he forfeited much of his territory in Wales because of it. But here he was, thirteen years later, a member by marriage of Edward the First's own family. Past conflicts were to be forgotten, it seems, and yet ... It wasn't long until Llywelyn's younger brother Dafydd - an ally of the king against Llywelyn in earlier days - attacked an English Castle because he felt slighted by the poor return he'd got from his allegiance to Edward. Llywelyn's hand was forced and he found himself involved in rebellion once more. By Christmas of that same year he was dead, and the independent principality of Wales with him. You should not be surprised that this reads like an episode of Game of Thrones, because dynastic war, not social history, is what it was, and it was dynastic war that, ultimately, gave rise to the Ring of Iron around North Wales. If this proposed installation really is intended to be a crass celebration of the oppression of one nation by another, then, I hope that it's abandoned. If, on the other hand, its rusty circle, bedded in the mud, serves to remind us of the consequences, for everyone, of pursuing power through ambition and arms, then let it stand.

As a Scot I am outraged on behalf of the people of Wales on learning of the plans to build an iron ring at Flint Castle to commemorate the conquest of Wales by Edward I; known in Scotland as 'The Hammer of the Scots'. That this edifice should also cost the good people of Wales £395,000 for its construction simply adds insult to injury. The general lack of knowledge of Welsh history from those who proposed this expensive piece of 'artwork' is also quite shocking and as someone who has visited Wales on several occasions I am one tourist who will definitely NOT be visiting this site. Margaret Donegan

celebrate Wales with shackles ??? Spending £400.000 , why not use it on improving Wales for tourism. How about removing parking charges on our seaside areas and our parks. You could do the former and probable still have £200,000+ to improve the roads going to them. They are thinking so far out of the box that they are approaching la la land. Did I miss the legalisation of marijuana or something. The council here spent £80,000 on a concrete pillar (supposed to look like a woman!) . Everybody objected under their breath but said nothing. If we don't complain, ALL of us they will walk straight over us.

No need for it, a bad idea, but a lot of sense in what Melindwr says. A complex period of history made more complex by modern revisionism.

I wish the people of my Nation would wake up. This Iron Ring is not about the money, let's be honest Labour wastes £Thousands every day anyway, the money is irrelevant. This symbol is just about Oppression.

When you,ve got this money (I hope not the EU) a better coruse would be to spend it on the Youth Hostels of Wales Get our Young people and Schools into these Projects!

My email to Dai Lloyd (AM) was replied to in 26 minutes. He said he was totally against the idea and had just been on Radio 5 Live saying so. Ten minutes later I had an email from Rhydian, one of Plaid's support staff, explaining that Dai had urged Ken Skates to reconsider this idea. I then received the Plaid response within another three hours saying amongst other things 'Plaid Cymru will never allow a clueless Labour government to bring shame upon our nation in this manner and we will campaign vigorously against the iron ring'. A very good and positive response from Plaid. John

All that money spent on what seems a symbol not in Welsh interest, historically or otherwise. Spend the money on something which will benefit the area and its people.