So, what do locals think now?
With the General Election upon us, we sent chief reporter Martin Shipton to Brackla to gauge the mood more than a month on from Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit
who don’t consider where the money’s coming from. If I had to pay £10 an hour in here, you’d have to pay £3.80 for a pint.”
Mr Davies was also worried that entrepreneurs like James Dyson, the vacuum cleaner magnate, and Tim Martin, the founder of Wetherspoons, would emigrate to The Bahamas if tax was increased for higher earners.
He thought they’d take their jobs with them, although it’s unclear how many vacuum cleaners or Wetherspoons pubs could fit on the islands.
Given his views on May and Corbyn, it’s perhaps surprising that he rates his chances of voting Conservative merely at 60:40.
Some of Mr Davies’ customers were less enamoured than him with the Prime Minister.
Victoria Bailey, who was in the pub with several work colleagues, said: “I usually vote Conservative, but I don’t like Theresa May and will be voting Labour this time.
“I believe very strongly that we should be staying in the EU, and that our economy could be badly damaged because she wants to press ahead with a hard Brexit.
“She’s come across as weak because of the Uturns on social care and other policies. The ‘strong and stable’ slogan is just spin.”
A colleague, Gemma Jury, said: “I haven’t really studied what’s been going on in the campaign. I’ve still got a few days to do that.”
Some members of Bridgend Conservative Association were unhappy that Karen Robson was imposed by the central party as their candidate – a situation not unique to this constituency.
A former Welsh Woman of the Year, she is the acting dean of students at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Originally from the north east of England, she gave an interview to the Northern Echo more than a decade ago in which she said she’d like to be an MP in that region.
Her main opponent is Labour candidate Madeleine Moon, who has represented the seat at Westminster since 2005.
Having won a majority of just 1,927 in 2015, the seat would be the first in Wales picked up by the Conservatives from Labour if there was a uniform national swing. That, of course, is why Theresa May made a beeline for the constituency at the start of the campaign.
Mrs Moon said: “There has been a change on the doorstep. More people have been critical about Theresa May over her Uturns and her poor performance in the Andrew Neil interview, for example.
“Her failure to take part in the debates has not gone down well, and people .feel patronised by the ‘strong and stable’ slogan.
“A lot of people have also told me they don’t like the fact that she’s talking about bringing back fox hunting. Why on earth would she poke that particular beehive?
“I never take an election for granted, and I’m making the point to people that I will always put their interests first. There are 1,250 employed in the Ford plant, but another 14,000 jobs depend on it. I will always vote for what’s best for them, but a Tory MP would do what Theresa May said.”
Asked whether she thought she was going to keep her seat, Mrs Moon said: “If things carry on as they are, I think I’ll be back. But there are still several days to go.”
Unfortunately Karen Robson wasn’t available.