Judging from the reports on Adam Price’s speech to Plaid Cymru’s Conference it seems it was Nick Bourne who got the worst of his fire, although Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik was scolded and David Melding was invited to join Plaid Cymru, im not sure if he’s quite a nationalist but I do find it strange that David Melding is a Tory AM.
It’s a smart move by Adam to choose Nick as his target, because it seems that with the end of the Secretary of State for Wales post as a full time Cabinet Member (something that the Tory’s will break a pledge on) Nick will be the most high profile Tory based in Wales speaking for David Cameron’s Conservatives and his speeches and actions between now and the General Election will tell us a lot about whether he is prepared to stand his ground as he often claims and stand up David Cameron or not on Welsh matters.
Nick has been pretty low profile since he decapitated his main rival for the leadership Jonathan Morgan at the beginning of the year, he probably believes his worries are over and can take a back seat allowing his party and colleagues in Westminster to lead the charge into the General Election, which could possibly backfire in Wales who knows and it will be interesting to see what shape the Conservative Campaign takes in Wales because whose included and whose not might give us a clue as to how Wales may fair under the new Government.
More here from Betsan Powys
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Party Political Media Organisations?
Hat Tip to Ordovicius
I listened to the audio from the debate on New Media at Plaid Cymru’s conference where the panelists Bethan Jenkins AM, Adam Price MP, Daran Hill of Positif Politics and Duncan Higitt Editor of WalesHome were discussing the impact of new media such as Blogs, Twitter, Facebook is having on Welsh politics.
During the discussion on how the parties could fully utilise the new medium, Duncan Higgit suggested that Plaid Cymru along with other political parties could start their own media organisations. As Duncan pointed out why not challenge the Western Mail and BBC instead of providing them with press releases, interviews and other stories, that Plaid Cymru has within its ranks journalists, people with the technical expertise, the know how to reach floating voters and how to target people in Election Campaigns that could be harnessed to provide news and information online beyond the current websites.
It’s not a new idea as the Conservative Online TV station 18 Doughty Street proved it can be done and it would increase the plurality of Wales’s media outlets offer one solution the challenges the welsh media faces going forward. Whether it will be something that the parties take seriously and becomes a reality, while providing a sustainable news source who knows, but it’s a good suggestion and I reckon it’s worth a try.
The full bi-lingual audio is here
I listened to the audio from the debate on New Media at Plaid Cymru’s conference where the panelists Bethan Jenkins AM, Adam Price MP, Daran Hill of Positif Politics and Duncan Higitt Editor of WalesHome were discussing the impact of new media such as Blogs, Twitter, Facebook is having on Welsh politics.
During the discussion on how the parties could fully utilise the new medium, Duncan Higgit suggested that Plaid Cymru along with other political parties could start their own media organisations. As Duncan pointed out why not challenge the Western Mail and BBC instead of providing them with press releases, interviews and other stories, that Plaid Cymru has within its ranks journalists, people with the technical expertise, the know how to reach floating voters and how to target people in Election Campaigns that could be harnessed to provide news and information online beyond the current websites.
It’s not a new idea as the Conservative Online TV station 18 Doughty Street proved it can be done and it would increase the plurality of Wales’s media outlets offer one solution the challenges the welsh media faces going forward. Whether it will be something that the parties take seriously and becomes a reality, while providing a sustainable news source who knows, but it’s a good suggestion and I reckon it’s worth a try.
The full bi-lingual audio is here
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Less FoI could be a good thing in Welsh Politics
The Freedom of Information (FoI) request has become a useful tool in politics since its introduction in helping to shine a light on the darker corners of Government workings and in exposing some uncomfortable truths, however here in Wales it is in danger of losing it impact by its overuse and over reliance by political parties in search of short term headlines and a lack of political ideas. (check out the local and national press) What’s more we seem to have politicians and staff who don’t understand the political value of uncovering a bigger story or more potent line of attack rather than relying on the Assembly's in-house Members Research Service.
In a part of the world where politics isn’t a top priority for most of the electorate finding snippets of information that will regularly put the Government under pressure and generate headlines that reach well beyond Cardiff Bay should be a part of the parties consideration and therefore adding credibility to the National Assembly for Wales but churning out press releases with FoI request info rarely makes that sort of impact and many don’t even provide the Welsh media with a story.
Don’t get me wrong there is certainly room for FoI requests in Welsh politics as we are not blessed with a great deal of investigative journalists or curious politicians who often expose what Government would rather keep hidden at a UK level, but we would surely get a better quality debate if parties and politicians were more alive to the opportunities that more self generated information would have on thier own reputations and that of Welsh politics.
In a part of the world where politics isn’t a top priority for most of the electorate finding snippets of information that will regularly put the Government under pressure and generate headlines that reach well beyond Cardiff Bay should be a part of the parties consideration and therefore adding credibility to the National Assembly for Wales but churning out press releases with FoI request info rarely makes that sort of impact and many don’t even provide the Welsh media with a story.
Don’t get me wrong there is certainly room for FoI requests in Welsh politics as we are not blessed with a great deal of investigative journalists or curious politicians who often expose what Government would rather keep hidden at a UK level, but we would surely get a better quality debate if parties and politicians were more alive to the opportunities that more self generated information would have on thier own reputations and that of Welsh politics.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Scrutiny and Priorities
Reading the Western Mail article it seems the penny has dropped for Plaid Cymru on the possibility that a Conservative Government will be elected after the next General Election and coupled with the UK Government’s budget deficit they will have direct consequences for Wales.
And Plaid Cymru by highlighting scrutiny of Tory policies already announced such as the one changes to the Big Lottery Fund, although in Welsh budget terms is a small amount of money (you have to start somewhere as David Cameron’s full price policy for MP’s at Westminster shows) have put their finger on what should be the wider welsh political debate of where cuts many fall in Wales especially since a third of people are employed in the public sector having not heard many concrete ideas on the effect of the biggest changes in Devolution, namely the smaller Welsh block grant and different priorities for the parties in power in the National Assembly for Wales and UK Government.
Maybe this will focus minds if its hasn’t already and kick start the debate about what stays and what goes in the Welsh Budgets over the rest of this and the next Assembly term?
p.s. there is a really good assessment of Adam Price’s proposals on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee over at the Syniadau blog
And Plaid Cymru by highlighting scrutiny of Tory policies already announced such as the one changes to the Big Lottery Fund, although in Welsh budget terms is a small amount of money (you have to start somewhere as David Cameron’s full price policy for MP’s at Westminster shows) have put their finger on what should be the wider welsh political debate of where cuts many fall in Wales especially since a third of people are employed in the public sector having not heard many concrete ideas on the effect of the biggest changes in Devolution, namely the smaller Welsh block grant and different priorities for the parties in power in the National Assembly for Wales and UK Government.
Maybe this will focus minds if its hasn’t already and kick start the debate about what stays and what goes in the Welsh Budgets over the rest of this and the next Assembly term?
p.s. there is a really good assessment of Adam Price’s proposals on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee over at the Syniadau blog
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
‘It urgently needs to stop playing dead and face its dauntingly uncertain future’.
It seems as though one Labour insider (a former anonymous blogger himself) is none to impressed with my previous post about the Labour Party following the comment he left, so here’s a flavour of another well respected ‘judgemental anonymous blogger’ writing about the state and possible fate of the Labour Party last week in a piece entitled ‘Into the Vortex’ (hardly subtle).
‘Because of these trends and pressures, some predict that Labour will sink low enough to become Britain’s third party: to the doomsayers, the 16% it scored in the European elections was less a blip than a prophecy. That may be overblown. The last major realignment in British politics was caused by the mega-shocks of the first world war and the subsequent extension of the franchise, which nobbled the old Liberals. But it is not fanciful to think that Labour may suffer several defeats and run through multiple leaders before one of them becomes prime minister.
In Vladimir Nabokov’s memoir, “Speak, Memory”, he describes coming upon a cat torturing a chipmunk. “Most of his tail was gone,” Nabokov writes of the chipmunk, “the stump was bleeding.” Finally the creature “lay down on his side in order to merge with a bit of light and shade on the ground”. Labour has recently appeared to adopt a similar tactic, seeming to hope inactivity could spare it further torment. It urgently needs to stop playing dead and face its dauntingly uncertain future.'
I just wonder if the difficult reality facing Labour is more palatable if it’s written about by a journalist at a well respected publication like the Economist rather than on a non aligned welsh political blog?
‘Because of these trends and pressures, some predict that Labour will sink low enough to become Britain’s third party: to the doomsayers, the 16% it scored in the European elections was less a blip than a prophecy. That may be overblown. The last major realignment in British politics was caused by the mega-shocks of the first world war and the subsequent extension of the franchise, which nobbled the old Liberals. But it is not fanciful to think that Labour may suffer several defeats and run through multiple leaders before one of them becomes prime minister.
In Vladimir Nabokov’s memoir, “Speak, Memory”, he describes coming upon a cat torturing a chipmunk. “Most of his tail was gone,” Nabokov writes of the chipmunk, “the stump was bleeding.” Finally the creature “lay down on his side in order to merge with a bit of light and shade on the ground”. Labour has recently appeared to adopt a similar tactic, seeming to hope inactivity could spare it further torment. It urgently needs to stop playing dead and face its dauntingly uncertain future.'
I just wonder if the difficult reality facing Labour is more palatable if it’s written about by a journalist at a well respected publication like the Economist rather than on a non aligned welsh political blog?
Monday, September 7, 2009
An alternative view
If you want a more rounded view of Labour’s woes rather than the sycophancy on offer at WalesHome then read Lee Waters take on the issues it over at the Bevan Foundation blog.
Lee offers his thoughts on some of the issues raised like trade union influence but his main analysis goes to the core of the problem and not just for the Labour Party’s attitudes to Devolution but the Tories, Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru to a lesser extent as well, the fact that they still haven’t come to terms with politics in post devolution Wales ten years on from the first elections to the National Assembly for Wales.
He writes ‘To my mind, Labour’s biggest problem is that too many in the party have not adapted to the realities of post-devolution competitive politics. The Labour Party is no longer the dominating force in Welsh politics. That is an unpalatable truth for those who have grown up with their party having a powerful sense of ownership of the nation’s politics.
Labour’s domination is over. And though it is heresy to say it, I think that is a good thing.
It is in Welsh Labour’s long-term interests to face up to this stark reality and start coming to terms with the new Wales it has helped create.
Though I don’t agree with all parts of his analysis, Owain Jones’ essay shows that there is a younger generation within Labour that ‘get it’. Maybe the changing of the guard that will accompany Rhodri Morgan’s retirement will allow that generation a stronger voice.
I remain to be convinced.
If you are a Labour member you would be hoping this type of hard headed analysis and plain speaking is influencing the leadership candidates campaigns to help get welsh voters to back the Party again at elections when Rhodri Morgan steps down, because whatever we think about Labour they remain the largest Party in Wales and although they are considerably weakened, pretty directionless and lacking leadership they remain on top while Wales continues to stagnate as there is no other Party ready in the short term to take their place and drive forward a credible alternative agenda. sadly.
Lee offers his thoughts on some of the issues raised like trade union influence but his main analysis goes to the core of the problem and not just for the Labour Party’s attitudes to Devolution but the Tories, Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru to a lesser extent as well, the fact that they still haven’t come to terms with politics in post devolution Wales ten years on from the first elections to the National Assembly for Wales.
He writes ‘To my mind, Labour’s biggest problem is that too many in the party have not adapted to the realities of post-devolution competitive politics. The Labour Party is no longer the dominating force in Welsh politics. That is an unpalatable truth for those who have grown up with their party having a powerful sense of ownership of the nation’s politics.
Labour’s domination is over. And though it is heresy to say it, I think that is a good thing.
It is in Welsh Labour’s long-term interests to face up to this stark reality and start coming to terms with the new Wales it has helped create.
Though I don’t agree with all parts of his analysis, Owain Jones’ essay shows that there is a younger generation within Labour that ‘get it’. Maybe the changing of the guard that will accompany Rhodri Morgan’s retirement will allow that generation a stronger voice.
I remain to be convinced.
If you are a Labour member you would be hoping this type of hard headed analysis and plain speaking is influencing the leadership candidates campaigns to help get welsh voters to back the Party again at elections when Rhodri Morgan steps down, because whatever we think about Labour they remain the largest Party in Wales and although they are considerably weakened, pretty directionless and lacking leadership they remain on top while Wales continues to stagnate as there is no other Party ready in the short term to take their place and drive forward a credible alternative agenda. sadly.
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