Denis Campbell’s piece on the welsh blogsphere got me thinking, he argues that there needs to be a shift in the way welsh bloggers approach welsh politics. He says we need to start believing that we can have influence and write accordingly then maybe we will have some success in changing things, it has some merit but it’s too simplistic an argument because there are already few welsh bloggers who do this it’s just that they are the minority not the majority and how much notice is taken of even these bloggers by the political parties is in the National Assembly for Wales or at Party Headquarters is debatable.
If you watched last night’s interview with Secretary of State Peter Hain on Dragon’s Eye it shows just what those who want further changes in Wales are up against it's not as if people haven't tried to change things before the list of those who have been burnt trying is very long indeed.
For instance the report this week from Gerald Holtham on the way Wales is funded is a serious piece of work with recommendations that are both needed and others that are far reaching, but how many of us actually believe that Welsh MP’s will take any notice and act on its recommendations in Parliament despite almost universal agreement between AM’s of all parties. Why because most are against the changes and are in safe seats so they know they can keep setting their agenda and not the agenda that best for Wales and it will be the same with a Tory Government
Welsh MP’s have also ground the much ‘heralded’ Legislative Competence Orders (LCO) system introduced by Peter Hain and his chums to a near halt by delaying the welsh language LCO and making WAG rewrite the housing LCO and that’s before poor old backbenchers like Jonathan Morgan even get a look in with their bids and all AM’s can do is do what they are told by Westminster much to many MP's delight no doubt.
So with that as the current and future state of play, the much needed changes wont happen even with the help of us bloggers. The Holtham Report will end up like the Richard Commission and countless other reports in store rooms in Cathays Park because they don’t say the right things, the LCO system with all its flaws will remain in place because no one has the guts to fight for something that works and WAG will carry on regardless listening to the same voices as they have done for the past ten years and continue to play along with the big boys in Westminster for fear of being scolded.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wales in the Spotlight
There plenty going on the world of politics at the moment but i thought i would blog today about Wales from a different angle as Cardiff, Llangollen and Wales more generally is enjoying some time in the national and international spotlight this week thanks to the first Ashes Cricket Test between England and Australia at the new SWALEC Stadium, the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen bringing competitors from all over the world to North Wales and the week long series of Torchwood filmed in Cardiff Bay by BBC Wales which started on Monday.
I’m sure there is no conspiracy between the BBC, Eisteddfod organisers and the England and Wales Cricket Board for these three events to coincide this week but it certainly proves the doubters and those who continually talk Wales down wrong with each event showcasing Wales at its best in Music, Sport and Entertainment to their respective audiences.
The organisers will be hoping it provides be a timely boost for welsh businesses and tourism as well as the further promotion of Wales to a wider audience. But in the short term you can’t beat sport and music’s feel good factors from the week that these types of events generate especially with the never ending gloom of the recession at the moment.
I’m sure there is no conspiracy between the BBC, Eisteddfod organisers and the England and Wales Cricket Board for these three events to coincide this week but it certainly proves the doubters and those who continually talk Wales down wrong with each event showcasing Wales at its best in Music, Sport and Entertainment to their respective audiences.
The organisers will be hoping it provides be a timely boost for welsh businesses and tourism as well as the further promotion of Wales to a wider audience. But in the short term you can’t beat sport and music’s feel good factors from the week that these types of events generate especially with the never ending gloom of the recession at the moment.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
‘The questions is why Welsh politicians and the Welsh Public put up with it’
The title is quote from last night’s BBC Wales Week in Week Out programme whose verdict was damming on the sorry state of the Welsh Ambulance Service three years after its former Chief Executive Roger Thayne quit and himself gave a damming verdict on its performance.
You will remember that at the time the Health Minister, Opposition Leaders, Ambulance Union and Ambulance Staff committed themselves to fixing the multiple problems the service certainly faced after underfunding and other issues following the outcry it caused.
So why three years on after millions of pounds have been invested in the services and state of the art ambulances were purchased to replaced the dilapidated older fleet is the service not reaching is response time targets and still costing patients lives.
Does the culture of the service need to change and what role does the Union and current Management have in this and will we ever have a Ambulance Service fit for the 21st Century?.
You will remember that at the time the Health Minister, Opposition Leaders, Ambulance Union and Ambulance Staff committed themselves to fixing the multiple problems the service certainly faced after underfunding and other issues following the outcry it caused.
So why three years on after millions of pounds have been invested in the services and state of the art ambulances were purchased to replaced the dilapidated older fleet is the service not reaching is response time targets and still costing patients lives.
Does the culture of the service need to change and what role does the Union and current Management have in this and will we ever have a Ambulance Service fit for the 21st Century?.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Holtham Commission - Some initial thoughts
So the publication of the first Holtham Report today looking into how a devolved Wales should be funded today hasn’t had as big an impact as Scotland’s Calman Commission did when it was published last month (what a shock) in the rest of the UK or in the UK media but it findings and recommendations are just as far reaching as the Commission looked at the block grant, borrowing powers and tax revenue.
The recommendations came under four headings and give some idea as to where the problems with the current system are. They were Ensuring that funding is aligned with needs, Enhancing the funding flexibility available to the Welsh Assembly Government. Reducing the likelihood of future disputes and Improving transparency.
The Holtham report like the Calman Reports recommends a needs based formula to fund Wales, that two reports in succession looking at the Barnett and saying the current population based formula isn’t up to scratch and as a result Wales s losing £300 million per year, but the £64,000 dollar questions is can this change anything and have our politicians the will to make the changes?
There are parts of the report that frankly state the obvious and it’s a sad reflections of welsh politics that it takes a report 10 years after the Assembly was set up to recommend putting systems and agreements like this in place, where have our politicians and civil servants been on these issues, mainly on the technical side such as agreement between WAG and the Treasury over funding and inviting a Treasury Official to the Assembly Finance Committee once a year, i'm still amazed that no one in Government thought of these things.
Having had only a quick look at it, I think it’s a positive contribution to the very stale debate that politicians have over how Wales is funded and if we could stand on our own two feet as a nation, I hope that this first report can be used to move the debate on and we can have some grown up discussion about our finances because we really need to whatever side your on.
The recommendations came under four headings and give some idea as to where the problems with the current system are. They were Ensuring that funding is aligned with needs, Enhancing the funding flexibility available to the Welsh Assembly Government. Reducing the likelihood of future disputes and Improving transparency.
The Holtham report like the Calman Reports recommends a needs based formula to fund Wales, that two reports in succession looking at the Barnett and saying the current population based formula isn’t up to scratch and as a result Wales s losing £300 million per year, but the £64,000 dollar questions is can this change anything and have our politicians the will to make the changes?
There are parts of the report that frankly state the obvious and it’s a sad reflections of welsh politics that it takes a report 10 years after the Assembly was set up to recommend putting systems and agreements like this in place, where have our politicians and civil servants been on these issues, mainly on the technical side such as agreement between WAG and the Treasury over funding and inviting a Treasury Official to the Assembly Finance Committee once a year, i'm still amazed that no one in Government thought of these things.
Having had only a quick look at it, I think it’s a positive contribution to the very stale debate that politicians have over how Wales is funded and if we could stand on our own two feet as a nation, I hope that this first report can be used to move the debate on and we can have some grown up discussion about our finances because we really need to whatever side your on.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Getting it Right for Wales
So the report 10 months in the making has landed, Getting it Right for Wales was a report on ‘an independent review into the current arrangement and financial support of AM’s’ chaired by Roger Jones former WDA chairman that will certainly make a splash in the Bay even though much of it won’t be put in place until the after the next Assembly Elections.
The report’s publication after the expenses storm in Westminster which has done considerable damage to the reputation of politicians is timely, although it’s fair to say AM’s weren’t universally loved before this and they have had their own share of controversy over expenses, so the impact the report’s recommendations will has with the General Public will be interesting to see. Will it as Roger Jones said prove to the public that this is an end to the gravy train culture among politicians, i’m not sure?
The report is certainly thorough and makes over 100 recommendations on a range of issues from AM’s jobs and pay, second homes and subsistence allowances, expenses, hiring and training staff, second jobs and more. It has made some far reaching recommendations (not all of which will be welcomed by those who have shall we say been benefitting from the current arrangements) such as the reduction in those AM’s who can claim for a second homes allowance and the fact they will have to rent the property’s instead of owning it.
The report has also highlighted something that annoys AM’s, the media and us bloggers alike the lack of scrutiny it reinforces the recommendation made in the Richard Commission Report in 2004 of the needs for more AM’s due the lack of Members to scrutinise the Government and legislation on the various committee’s in the Assembly since the 2006 Government of Wales Act separated the Executive from the Legislature, will this come up for discussion in Cardiff Bay or be swept under the carpet?
All in all it should be seen as a welcome contribution that will certainly cause some upheaval but will add to the better workings of Assembly Members and the National Assembly for Wales in general by making much needed changes, we will have to wait until Wednesday to see what the Assembly Commission (the ones who commissioned the report) think of the recommendations that Roger Jones and his team came up with. It will be a brave soul to argue against these reforms in the current climate.
The report’s publication after the expenses storm in Westminster which has done considerable damage to the reputation of politicians is timely, although it’s fair to say AM’s weren’t universally loved before this and they have had their own share of controversy over expenses, so the impact the report’s recommendations will has with the General Public will be interesting to see. Will it as Roger Jones said prove to the public that this is an end to the gravy train culture among politicians, i’m not sure?
The report is certainly thorough and makes over 100 recommendations on a range of issues from AM’s jobs and pay, second homes and subsistence allowances, expenses, hiring and training staff, second jobs and more. It has made some far reaching recommendations (not all of which will be welcomed by those who have shall we say been benefitting from the current arrangements) such as the reduction in those AM’s who can claim for a second homes allowance and the fact they will have to rent the property’s instead of owning it.
The report has also highlighted something that annoys AM’s, the media and us bloggers alike the lack of scrutiny it reinforces the recommendation made in the Richard Commission Report in 2004 of the needs for more AM’s due the lack of Members to scrutinise the Government and legislation on the various committee’s in the Assembly since the 2006 Government of Wales Act separated the Executive from the Legislature, will this come up for discussion in Cardiff Bay or be swept under the carpet?
All in all it should be seen as a welcome contribution that will certainly cause some upheaval but will add to the better workings of Assembly Members and the National Assembly for Wales in general by making much needed changes, we will have to wait until Wednesday to see what the Assembly Commission (the ones who commissioned the report) think of the recommendations that Roger Jones and his team came up with. It will be a brave soul to argue against these reforms in the current climate.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Further proof of Plaid Cymru morphing into Labour?
The following is from an interview with Stephan Lewis Plaid Cymru’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for Islwyn at the General Election over at WalesHome.org , much of it could have been from an interview with any Labour PPC over the years with commitments to a strong public sector, a return to apprenticeships and a reluctance to make cuts the public sector at the expense of the private sector, some excerpts are below :-
“I TAKE no pleasure from the demise of Labour in Wales. ”
This isn’t what we normally hear from Plaid Cymru…
“My grandfather was a card carrying member of the Labour party, solid NUM, who would pick people up to take them to vote.”
…And particularly from a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate based in the Valleys, where red-green battles have proved to be some of the most vicious in British politics in recent times…
“Everywhere you went, people had so much affection for Labour because, at the time, it reflected their interests.”
Thea article continues "Lewis is very much in favour of moving towards a stronger emphasis on vocational training in the Welsh education system. He wants to see the return of engineering and associated hi-tech, field-leading technology developed here in Wales. “The UK puts an awful lot of emphasis on academic achievement,” said Lewis, who was dropped his studies at Cardiff University to take part in the Blaenau Gwent campaign began, never to return. “Small countries can do very well this way – Sweden is in the top 10 worldwide countries for patents filed.”
He concedes that the public sector needs to be more closely scrutinised in order to rebuild the public trust that has been so conclusively destroyed by the MPs’ expenses controversy. But Lewis sees other, far greater challenges ahead, for the Assembly in particular. “People like to dress up the conflict between the public and the private sector, but what they don’t want to see is an onslaught unleashed in the form of public spending cuts. The Assembly is looking at a budget cut of half a billion pounds. This is the issue that we have to deal with, here and now.”
The Full Interview is here
“I TAKE no pleasure from the demise of Labour in Wales. ”
This isn’t what we normally hear from Plaid Cymru…
“My grandfather was a card carrying member of the Labour party, solid NUM, who would pick people up to take them to vote.”
…And particularly from a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate based in the Valleys, where red-green battles have proved to be some of the most vicious in British politics in recent times…
“Everywhere you went, people had so much affection for Labour because, at the time, it reflected their interests.”
Thea article continues "Lewis is very much in favour of moving towards a stronger emphasis on vocational training in the Welsh education system. He wants to see the return of engineering and associated hi-tech, field-leading technology developed here in Wales. “The UK puts an awful lot of emphasis on academic achievement,” said Lewis, who was dropped his studies at Cardiff University to take part in the Blaenau Gwent campaign began, never to return. “Small countries can do very well this way – Sweden is in the top 10 worldwide countries for patents filed.”
He concedes that the public sector needs to be more closely scrutinised in order to rebuild the public trust that has been so conclusively destroyed by the MPs’ expenses controversy. But Lewis sees other, far greater challenges ahead, for the Assembly in particular. “People like to dress up the conflict between the public and the private sector, but what they don’t want to see is an onslaught unleashed in the form of public spending cuts. The Assembly is looking at a budget cut of half a billion pounds. This is the issue that we have to deal with, here and now.”
The Full Interview is here
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