There no reason not to believe BBC Wales’s translation of what former Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price said on S4C’s political programme CF99 last night but if he did say the "lack of skills amongst politicians is making it difficult to tackle big economic challenges" then I and many other people will agree with him.
Wales's big economic challenges need bold, brave and politicians willing to challenge the status quo, qualities that neither AM's or Welsh MP's are blessed with to be fair.
Adam is also reported as saying ‘"The gap between the problems we face in Wales and the skill-set of the people we're drawing in to politics is huge", now for some his comments might be treason especially with Plaid Cymru Ministers now part of WAG, but it’s not exactly a new or particularly controversial thing to question the skill levels and quality of AM’s. And guess what if you listened closely enough to conversations in Cardiff Bay you might actually hear politicians and staff say much the same thing, but sadly the issue never seems to be addressed by the parties.
In fact my only issue with what he said is if this is what Adam really thinks then why didn’t he put himself forward as a candidate for next year’s Assembly election so that the Assembly could benefit from someone of his experience and stature if he was elected?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Where’s the reporting and debate?
Iain Duncan Smith announced the most far reaching plans to shake up the welfare system in decades today and given Wales’s bigger than average dependency on both out of work and incapacity benefits there has been almost no debate amongst Welsh politicians either MP’s or AM’s.
The changes if they are fully implemented will have a massive impact for good and ill all over Wales, but specifically in the most deprived areas north and south yet there has been precious little said by the politicians or reported in the press leading up to today apart from general background information and Tory baiting
So is this and this really enough coverage for people to understand how it might affect them and their family in the future?
And as Victoria Winckler over at the Bevan Foundation said even though the Assembly isn’t responsible for Welfare, if Welsh MP aren’t scrutinizing the impact it shouldn’t the Assembly and our AM’s be taking more interest given the impact its likely to have?
If you want more info the full White Paper is HERE with Executive Summary.
The changes if they are fully implemented will have a massive impact for good and ill all over Wales, but specifically in the most deprived areas north and south yet there has been precious little said by the politicians or reported in the press leading up to today apart from general background information and Tory baiting
So is this and this really enough coverage for people to understand how it might affect them and their family in the future?
And as Victoria Winckler over at the Bevan Foundation said even though the Assembly isn’t responsible for Welfare, if Welsh MP aren’t scrutinizing the impact it shouldn’t the Assembly and our AM’s be taking more interest given the impact its likely to have?
If you want more info the full White Paper is HERE with Executive Summary.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Bookies make Ron favourite to win Caerphilly
Haven’t seen this anywhere else but Welsh Icons has the story a few days ago of Welsh political bookie Karl Williams making the former Labour Welsh Secretary and now Plaid Cymru candidate the favourite to win the seat in next year’s Assembly Elections.
This is the full article ‘The combined vote for Ron Davies and Lindsay Whittle as the Plaid candidate in the last Assembly election would give the former Secretary of State for Wales a comfortable majority of “several thousand”.
Karl Williams, who specialises in political forecasting, has calculated that Ron Davies is odds to win in Caerphilly and distinguished BBC Welsh Affairs Editor
Vaughan Roderick said in his online blog that “this is one to watch”.
Ron Davies, who gave the news a cautious welcome, said today: “I have a fantastic reception throughout the constituency since being chosen to stand for Plaid but these are very early days in the campaign.
“It is clear that Caerphilly s a two horse race and Labour is in disarray in the constituency.
“I want to get the message across that Labour failed us when they were in charge in Wales and Westminster, and effectively opened the door to let the Tories back in to power.
“Plaid will always put Wales first and as we get this message across I am sure we will build on this promising start.”
It would certainly be coup for Plaid Cymru but Labour will fight hard and dirty to keep the seat, we haven't got long to wait to find out.
This is the full article ‘The combined vote for Ron Davies and Lindsay Whittle as the Plaid candidate in the last Assembly election would give the former Secretary of State for Wales a comfortable majority of “several thousand”.
Karl Williams, who specialises in political forecasting, has calculated that Ron Davies is odds to win in Caerphilly and distinguished BBC Welsh Affairs Editor
Vaughan Roderick said in his online blog that “this is one to watch”.
Ron Davies, who gave the news a cautious welcome, said today: “I have a fantastic reception throughout the constituency since being chosen to stand for Plaid but these are very early days in the campaign.
“It is clear that Caerphilly s a two horse race and Labour is in disarray in the constituency.
“I want to get the message across that Labour failed us when they were in charge in Wales and Westminster, and effectively opened the door to let the Tories back in to power.
“Plaid will always put Wales first and as we get this message across I am sure we will build on this promising start.”
It would certainly be coup for Plaid Cymru but Labour will fight hard and dirty to keep the seat, we haven't got long to wait to find out.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
You may be interested in, part 2
AM dismisses delays to Welsh legislation as unacceptable.
Cuts will put legal aid out of reach to the poorest
Why Obama should learn the lesson of 1936 not 1996
Labour will concentrate on the Scottish, Welsh and local elections, not AV referendum.
The West is turning against big Government, but what comes next?
Video of how to build a new Tesco store in 13 days
Cuts will put legal aid out of reach to the poorest
Why Obama should learn the lesson of 1936 not 1996
Labour will concentrate on the Scottish, Welsh and local elections, not AV referendum.
The West is turning against big Government, but what comes next?
Video of how to build a new Tesco store in 13 days
Will Aung San Suu Kyi be freed?
‘Elections’ are taking place in Myanmar/Burma today and after the inevitable results are known the Military Junta has said that after 15 of the last 20 years as a prisoner under house arrest Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy who won a landslide victory back in 1990 will be freed on the 13th November.
To coincide with today’s ‘elections’ there is an excellent article in the Independent on Sunday which starts ‘She is by some stretch the most abused political heroine alive today. She has been confined to her crumbling family home in Rangoon for more than 15 of the past 20 years. Her two sons, Alex and Kim, have for many years been barred from visiting her – Kim, now 33, is in Bangkok trying to get a visa so he can see his mother for the first time in 10 years. The last wish of her gravely ill husband, Michael Aris – to die in her arms – was brutally snubbed.
But in one week's time all that could be in the past and Aung San Suu Kyi could walk through the rusty iron gates of 54 University Avenue, Rangoon, a free woman again.
Or will she?’
The rest of the article is HERE
To coincide with today’s ‘elections’ there is an excellent article in the Independent on Sunday which starts ‘She is by some stretch the most abused political heroine alive today. She has been confined to her crumbling family home in Rangoon for more than 15 of the past 20 years. Her two sons, Alex and Kim, have for many years been barred from visiting her – Kim, now 33, is in Bangkok trying to get a visa so he can see his mother for the first time in 10 years. The last wish of her gravely ill husband, Michael Aris – to die in her arms – was brutally snubbed.
But in one week's time all that could be in the past and Aung San Suu Kyi could walk through the rusty iron gates of 54 University Avenue, Rangoon, a free woman again.
Or will she?’
The rest of the article is HERE
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