It’s an inevitability given the fractures with Welsh society over decades and centuries that each of our tribes has their own heroes and heroines who are remembered and celebrated, but as a Nation there are very few people who everyone acknowledges and celebrates for their contributions to Wales and the wider world even though there are many to choose from.
Add that to the fact that we Welsh are notoriously bad at preserving and even remembering our history and the story that a campaign by a Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament wants Robert Owen, Welsh Social Reformer and one of the founders of the Co-operative movement who made his ideas a reality in Glasgow on to Scottish banknotes is no real surprise.
According to the BBC ‘MSPs will debate a motion by Labour MSP Bill Butler calling for Owen to feature on Scottish notes in time for the United Nations Year of Co-operatives in 2012.
Mr Butler said he hoped Scottish banks would listen to public opinion and adopt the New Lanark pioneer on notes.
The member's debate has drawn cross-party support from more than 60 MSP’s and West Lothian and Edinburgh City councils.
Owen pioneered co-operative values during his time as mill manager at New Lanark from the late 18thCentury.
Child labour was abolished and the workers were provided with homes, education and health care.
The article also has a response to the bid from the bank ‘A spokeswoman for the Clydesdale Bank said it had no current plans for a new notes issue, but added that the bank would consider Owen in the future.
She said: "Although Robert Owen was not a Scot, his campaign for a better and fairer society and the influence of his ideas on social cooperation has given New Lanark international recognition, and greatly contributed to New Lanark being given World Heritage Status.
"In fact, New Lanark appears on the reverse of our new £20 note, as part of our World Heritage Sites series."
The New Lanark site is one of five Unesco World Heritage sites in Scotland.
Robert Owen isn’t unique in not being widely acknowledged and known in Wales there are numerous other examples from all Wales’s tribes, Owen’s ideas were radical and forward thinking at the time and they also have a worldwide legacy something that’s worth celebrating, the Scots seem to think so, but it makes you wonder what it would take to change the mindset so that all out heroes and heroines were celebrated equally.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Nearly two thirds of people unsure what Lib Dems stand for
Its only one poll admittedly and things can change but a new ComRes Poll for the Independent may be causing a few jitters at Lib Dems HQ as it found that 65% of people were not clear what the Lib Dems stood for since they went in to Coalition just a few short weeks ago.
According to the Independent ‘A ComRes poll for The Independent found that public opinion is divided on the merits of the power-sharing deal between David Cameron and Nick Clegg, but that voters overwhelmingly back the replacement of the first-past-the-post electoral system.
The survey also suggests that the Tories are regarded by the public as the coalition's dominant partner.
By a margin of more than two to one – 65 per cent to 29 per cent – they agreed that it was "difficult to know what the Liberal Democrats stand for" following their entry into the coalition. The sentiment was shared by 56 per cent of the people who voted Liberal Democrat in last month's general election.
There are signs that Mr Clegg's party is suffering a backlash from its decision to go into office with the Tories. Only 78 per cent of people who voted Liberal Democrat last month said they would vote the same way if another election was held tomorrow; 17 per cent said they would support Labour instead.
The findings echo fears among some activists that their party's identity is in danger of being swamped by the Tories. They come as Mr Clegg insists in an interview in The Independent today that Liberal Democrat values are at the heart of the coalition agreement.
Three weeks after the deal was struck, public opinion is split over the merits of forming the coalition administration. Asked whether it was a better outcome for Britain than an outright Tory or Labour election victory, 45 per cent agreed and 43 per cent disagreed.
There was overwhelming support for the suggestion that first-past-the-post voting for Westminster should be replaced by a "system that reflects more accurately the proportion of votes cast for each party", with 78 per cent agreeing and just 18 per cent disagreeing.'
According to the Independent ‘A ComRes poll for The Independent found that public opinion is divided on the merits of the power-sharing deal between David Cameron and Nick Clegg, but that voters overwhelmingly back the replacement of the first-past-the-post electoral system.
The survey also suggests that the Tories are regarded by the public as the coalition's dominant partner.
By a margin of more than two to one – 65 per cent to 29 per cent – they agreed that it was "difficult to know what the Liberal Democrats stand for" following their entry into the coalition. The sentiment was shared by 56 per cent of the people who voted Liberal Democrat in last month's general election.
There are signs that Mr Clegg's party is suffering a backlash from its decision to go into office with the Tories. Only 78 per cent of people who voted Liberal Democrat last month said they would vote the same way if another election was held tomorrow; 17 per cent said they would support Labour instead.
The findings echo fears among some activists that their party's identity is in danger of being swamped by the Tories. They come as Mr Clegg insists in an interview in The Independent today that Liberal Democrat values are at the heart of the coalition agreement.
Three weeks after the deal was struck, public opinion is split over the merits of forming the coalition administration. Asked whether it was a better outcome for Britain than an outright Tory or Labour election victory, 45 per cent agreed and 43 per cent disagreed.
There was overwhelming support for the suggestion that first-past-the-post voting for Westminster should be replaced by a "system that reflects more accurately the proportion of votes cast for each party", with 78 per cent agreeing and just 18 per cent disagreeing.'
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tests ahead for relationship between UK Government and devolved administrations - IPPR
I was going to write a piece on the report but the press release from a new study from the Institute of Public Policy Research latest research is comprehensive enough. The full report is available to download from their website after you have filled in a few of your details.
It states ‘A major new study of devolution, by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) published on 28 May argues that the new political and economic landscape in the UK presents major challenges to a devolved United Kingdom that have not been faced before.
The report, called Devolution in Practice 2010, brings together a range of experts to analyse how devolution has changed the UK since 1997. It hails devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as a landmark reform, but argues that it took place in relatively benign economic and political circumstances. The strength of the settlement will now be tested, as the new coalition government of the UK lacks a strong mandate in Scotland and Wales and yet stringent spending cuts are in the pipeline from which the devolved administrations cannot be protected if England is to be treated fairly.
Guy Lodge, Associate Director of ippr said:
'The new prime minister has gone out of his way in his early days in office to give a reassuring message to the people of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through his ‘respect’ agenda. But there’s no getting away from the fact that the Conservative mandate in Scotland in particular is extremely weak. At the same time, grant funding to the devolved nations will have to be cut as part of the deficit reduction programme. Holding off cuts to the block grant until 2011/12 might help David Cameron to win friends in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but it risks a backlash from England – particularly those poorer areas which already look jealously at the funding those parts of the UK receive.'
The report argues that the devolution settlement can be strengthened despite the difficult economic and political circumstances. It surveys an array of public opinion evidence to show that, while the public in Scotland and Wales want self-government and to be able to do things differently, they also want to remain part of the United Kingdom. Key to delivering this is an agenda of ‘respect’ by the Westminster coalition government towards the devolved administrations. This means recognising the right of the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to pursue different policies, but also working together for common cause when it makes sense to do so.
Alan Trench, a contributor to the book and research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, said:
'Devolution has had an easy ride so far, with Labour dominating all three governments in Britain and generous public spending allocations. Now times are tough: not only is spending going to get very tight, but with different parties in office in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, party ties cannot help smooth intergovernmental relations in the way they did. That means that the UK Government needs to approach intergovernmental relations with great care to make the new system work. Complacency is not an option.'
To ensure smooth relations, the report recommends:
There should be an early overhaul of the administrative and decision-making arrangements surrounding the block grant that goes to the devolved administrations to ensure decisions are fair and transparent. This would not have to involve any extra spending, and has been called for by all the devolved governments and several reviews.
The UK government should respond to the aspirations of the devolved administrations where that is appropriate. For example, it should support an early referendum on primary legislative powers for Wales. The current model for legislating for Wales is already creaking and cannot survive the sorts of political differences that now exist.
More systematic and regular use of intergovernmental ministerial meetings through the Joint Ministerial Committee, including a meeting of the JMC for finance before the emergency budget in July, to discuss spending cuts.
In the longer term, the so-called ‘Barnett formula’ - by which devolved administrations’ level of grants are set - needs to be reformed so that it is fair to all parts of the UK, and the devolved administrations need to be given greater fiscal autonomy to raise their own revenue where they wish to do so.
It states ‘A major new study of devolution, by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) published on 28 May argues that the new political and economic landscape in the UK presents major challenges to a devolved United Kingdom that have not been faced before.
The report, called Devolution in Practice 2010, brings together a range of experts to analyse how devolution has changed the UK since 1997. It hails devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as a landmark reform, but argues that it took place in relatively benign economic and political circumstances. The strength of the settlement will now be tested, as the new coalition government of the UK lacks a strong mandate in Scotland and Wales and yet stringent spending cuts are in the pipeline from which the devolved administrations cannot be protected if England is to be treated fairly.
Guy Lodge, Associate Director of ippr said:
'The new prime minister has gone out of his way in his early days in office to give a reassuring message to the people of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through his ‘respect’ agenda. But there’s no getting away from the fact that the Conservative mandate in Scotland in particular is extremely weak. At the same time, grant funding to the devolved nations will have to be cut as part of the deficit reduction programme. Holding off cuts to the block grant until 2011/12 might help David Cameron to win friends in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but it risks a backlash from England – particularly those poorer areas which already look jealously at the funding those parts of the UK receive.'
The report argues that the devolution settlement can be strengthened despite the difficult economic and political circumstances. It surveys an array of public opinion evidence to show that, while the public in Scotland and Wales want self-government and to be able to do things differently, they also want to remain part of the United Kingdom. Key to delivering this is an agenda of ‘respect’ by the Westminster coalition government towards the devolved administrations. This means recognising the right of the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to pursue different policies, but also working together for common cause when it makes sense to do so.
Alan Trench, a contributor to the book and research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, said:
'Devolution has had an easy ride so far, with Labour dominating all three governments in Britain and generous public spending allocations. Now times are tough: not only is spending going to get very tight, but with different parties in office in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, party ties cannot help smooth intergovernmental relations in the way they did. That means that the UK Government needs to approach intergovernmental relations with great care to make the new system work. Complacency is not an option.'
To ensure smooth relations, the report recommends:
There should be an early overhaul of the administrative and decision-making arrangements surrounding the block grant that goes to the devolved administrations to ensure decisions are fair and transparent. This would not have to involve any extra spending, and has been called for by all the devolved governments and several reviews.
The UK government should respond to the aspirations of the devolved administrations where that is appropriate. For example, it should support an early referendum on primary legislative powers for Wales. The current model for legislating for Wales is already creaking and cannot survive the sorts of political differences that now exist.
More systematic and regular use of intergovernmental ministerial meetings through the Joint Ministerial Committee, including a meeting of the JMC for finance before the emergency budget in July, to discuss spending cuts.
In the longer term, the so-called ‘Barnett formula’ - by which devolved administrations’ level of grants are set - needs to be reformed so that it is fair to all parts of the UK, and the devolved administrations need to be given greater fiscal autonomy to raise their own revenue where they wish to do so.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Are we more self absorbed or is it a case of rose tinted spectacles?
Travel writer Bill Bryson speaking at the Hay Festival yesterday said that we Brits are more self absorbed now than in the 1970’s when he first came to the UK and we’re in more of a hurry and less willing to think that rules apply to us.
According to BBC Wales ‘He told the audience that he felt the Britain he first discovered as a young backpacker in the 1970s was in some ways richer than today, although "poor and economically struggling".
"People's lives were actually still quite simple compared with today but it seemed like a really enriched country," he said.
By comparison, now "people in general have a lot more money in their pockets.
"But we act all the time now like we are really poor when people are really rich.
"America is about individual wealth and collective poverty and we have moved into that camp."
He added: "One thing that is different, and has changed here, is the self-absorption, not just greed. Everybody is in a hurry now and there is a 'the rules don't apply to me' sort of thing."
Bryson has spent most of his life in Yorkshire and Norfolk since the mid 1970s, apart from returning to the US for a few years from the mid 1990s.
"When I first came to Britain it really was all about fair play and queuing."
Bill certainly raises some interesting points especially as we enter a period of slow economic growth, falling wealth and more reliance on our local communities and family networks even if you don’t agree with all he says.
According to BBC Wales ‘He told the audience that he felt the Britain he first discovered as a young backpacker in the 1970s was in some ways richer than today, although "poor and economically struggling".
"People's lives were actually still quite simple compared with today but it seemed like a really enriched country," he said.
By comparison, now "people in general have a lot more money in their pockets.
"But we act all the time now like we are really poor when people are really rich.
"America is about individual wealth and collective poverty and we have moved into that camp."
He added: "One thing that is different, and has changed here, is the self-absorption, not just greed. Everybody is in a hurry now and there is a 'the rules don't apply to me' sort of thing."
Bryson has spent most of his life in Yorkshire and Norfolk since the mid 1970s, apart from returning to the US for a few years from the mid 1990s.
"When I first came to Britain it really was all about fair play and queuing."
Bill certainly raises some interesting points especially as we enter a period of slow economic growth, falling wealth and more reliance on our local communities and family networks even if you don’t agree with all he says.
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