Where is the Welsh Robert Peston when you need one?

Following on from Dylan Jones Evans post on the lack of accountability of Welsh politicians by the Welsh media over this week’s unemployment figures and economic matters more generally, it’s worth noting that similar frustrations have been expressed this week from a Northern Ireland blogger this week in a post called ‘Where are the economists?’ which expresses similar sentiments.

They write So much for the politicians. But what about the commentariat? In most countries the economy, public and private, is the subject of fierce debate amongst think-tanks, academics, journalists and bloggers. There is usually a healthy exchange of ideas and people between research bodies and government, and every aspect of the economy is analysed and argued over.

But not in Northern Ireland.

‘The research bodies, think-tanks, journalists and bloggers are fixated exclusively on politics. There is almost no debate about economics. The economy is viewed by many as an external environment – it is governed by people and laws that are outside Northern Ireland, and the only input that Northern Ireland has is as a consumer. The 'quangocracy' that absorbs so much of Northern Ireland's educated workforce is focussed on governance, on social matters, on community development and on 'equality' – and almost never on issues of economic interest.

And its end by saying ‘Yet it seems that the dependency mentality has become so deeply engrained in Northern Ireland that few people even show any interest in escaping from it. Until they do, Northern Ireland will sink further into economic helplessness, lacking even the intellectual tools necessary to plan its escape.

Now read it back and replace the words Northern Ireland with Wales and it applies just the same.

But surely the time has come for our own Welsh Robert Peston, Wales needs a Business Editor who understands and isn’t afraid to expose the failings of the cosy economic consensus that is stopping Wales and her people reaching their full potential before we all lose hope of anything changing.

Also worth a read is this interesting article from Mike over at The Federalist .

Kim’s off – any others following?

We found out today that another MP is standing down at the next election after Kim Howells the Labour MP for Pontypridd announced he wouldn’t be standing again at the next election, So the obvious question is who gets a relatively safe Labour seat?

Kim’s resignation follows Labour’s Martyn Jones and Betty Williams and Plaid Cymru's Adam Price who are also standing down next year, but it’s got me thinking whether it wasn’t time for some other Welsh MP’s of all stripes to retire and make way for new blood to represent us in Parliament?

New Irish Media venture for the digital age – are there lessons for Wales?

Hat Tip to Mick Fealty

Below is video clip of a new news venture in Ireland that is being set up by Mark Little who until last month worked for Radio Television Eire, (RTE) Ireland’s public service broadcaster. Talking about why he set up the venture he said ‘During eighteen happy years with RTÉ as a correspondent and presenter, my first love has always been reporting on global affairs. The rise of social media platforms like Youtube, Twitter and Facebook provides an opportunity for journalists to change the way we report the world.’

In terms of the business model for the digital media his conclusions are that consumers will not pay for content in the future but the package it comes in and that's where his new business model comes in, but even he isn’t entirely sure if it will work. He also talks about the dangers of the digital media, one of the main ones is only reading and viewing content you agree with any healthy political environment needs opposing views, but it’s worth watching even if you only have a passing interesting to see how enthusiastic he is about the opportunities the digital age offers media of all formats.

Unemployment News

Today’s unemployment figures for Wales are grim and are they are creating all sorts of short, medium and long term problems for those out of work and wider society, but will WAG even under its new management and all the rhetoric of the past few weeks take the figures any more seriously than Rhodri Morgan and Ieuan Wyn Jones and take action apart from ProcAct and ReAct to help those without jobs now and in the future, I doubt it.

And it’s all very well the Conservatives and Lib Dems hammering WAG about the figures (they deserve it), but where are the ideas and solutions from either party on how they would tackle the underlying causes of high and long term unemployment that have blighted Wales for so long because Labour and Plaid Cymru have proved they don’t have a clue.

However if any party needs reminding of how bad thing are and will continue to be here is a quote a Work Foundation report published last month called The Road to Recovery: Getting Britain Back to Work

In previous recessions it has taken up to four years to reach the pre-crisis level of output. Employment takes much longer to recover – sometimes taking almost a decade to reach the pre-crisis level. We are in an early phase of the recession in the UK and, while unemployment will probably rise further, there is uncertainty about where joblessness will peak and when significant reductions in unemployment will occur.

Difficult questions for those who run Communities First

Following a damming report earlier this year from the Auditor General about the Welsh Assembly Government’s (WAG) flagship Communities First set up to improve the living conditions and prospects for people in the most disadvantaged communities across Wales that said WAG is still not tracking the full extent to which the programme is tackling deprivation and improving living conditions for those in poverty and needs to work much more closely with other public bodies, particularly councils, so they maximise their contribution to the programme -
the Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee took evidence from Dame Gillian Morgan, the Assembly Government's Permanent Secretary and Paul Dear, Head of Communities First Unit and Emyr Roberts Director General for Public Service Delivery at the beginning of the month to ask why six year after a previous report said much the same why improvements didn’t seem to be happening among other things.

For many people who have had dealings with WAG over Communities First and the Social Economy in Wales more generally, none of what the auditor reported in July or the shock and dismay on behalf of the AM’s in the exchanges with the Civil Servants over these issues will come as a surprise.

Most of those working in the sector agreed when Communities First was set up it a good idea but that it has been badly run and badly implemented in many areas across Wales and the lack of proper partnership working has impeded progress, but despite these criticisms over the years from the frontline there has been no recognition from WAG of the programme failing or attempts to rectify the situation and in the meantime it’s the poorest communities who continue to suffer.

It’s good to see our AM’s with some fire in their belly’s and if the Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Jonathan Morgan AM can shame WAG into action over its failing on Communities First then they will have done some good, because in this time of tighter budgets it’s important that the poorest don’t get left behind and we make every penny of Communities First budget count.

The full session of the 3rd December courtesy of Democracy Live is HERE

Blair would have gone to war in Iraq anyway – is this really news?

There has been lots of comment about Tony Blair’s confession to Fern Brittan that he would have used different arguments to take Britain to War in Iraq if he had known that WMD’s didn’t exist and joined in Americans in invading Iraq. The fact his comments have made such an impact shows how deeply the Iraq War has affected the UK psyche over the past few years and the case for War unravelling as new details emerge on an almost daily basis.

Hans Blix the Chief UN Weapons Inspector at the time has told the BBC he believed Mr Blair used the excuse as a ''convenient justification'' for the war and said the remarks gave ''the strong impression of a lack of sincerity''.

I’m not sure if this interview was Blair as master of spin and laying the foundations for his appearance at the Chilcott Inquiry in the New Year or further justification for himself about his actions but whatever happens with the Chilcott Inquiry the Iraq War will remain a running sore that the Government and Parliament aren’t likely to be rid of anytime soon.