If the First Minister’s attendance at the devolved head of governments meeting last week was mostly irrelevant and helped Wales little, then his attendance from Wales’s perspective at the Joint Ministerial Committee this week was pointless.
For starters he went to discuss finance matters and didn’t take Jane Hutt his Finance Minister with him, the UK and Scottish Finance Minster did attend which no doubt tilted the balance in their favour during any discussions of the Barnett formula review.
He got no more than a repeat of the promise from the PM about a ‘Calman style commission’ for Wales, no start date and how hard did he argue that the Holtham Commission report had done much of the heavy lifting on that front and in straightened financial times would save money.
And he was mistaken for UK Health Secretary Andrew Lansley as Betsan Powys highlighted, reinforcing the Australian journalists comments about his brand recognition being equal to beetroot lemonade.
It makes me wonder if Carwyn Jones and his staff realise that he doesn’t have to agree with or even like Alex Salmond, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, but to get what he wants from the UK Government in terms of Barnett Reform or borrowing powers he needs to work with them for Wales’s benefit, they are allies.
To be fair Carwyn had a temporary reprieve by rightly having a go at Plaid Cymru’s leader for his no shows at the Official Opening and first FMQ’s of the new Parliament and most of the Welsh media have duly fallen into line to change the subject, but his problems aren’t going away.
If his much vaunted Programme for Government to be published in the next few weeks is along the lines of more of the same with a few tweaks, as suggested when the new Business Minster Edwina Hart gave her first interviews this week, then Wales is in real trouble for the next 5 years as it has been for the last 12.
And as several commentators have said devolved matters are likely to dominate political discussion in Wales whether the First Minster, the Welsh Government and the Labour Party want talk about them it or not because of events elsewhere in the UK.
If that’s the case wouldn’t it be a good idea for them to agree some policy positions, so at the very least they sound credible and as if they belong when attending these meetings in the future, meetings that even if the First Minister doesn’t get anything at will have a direct effect on us here in Wales.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Some good news for the Welsh economy at last
Well done to Dylan Jones Evans and the University of Wales on their new venture, the opening of a Welsh Innovation Office for Welsh start up businesses in ‘Silicon Valley’ in California. Some great news for Wales after yesterday’s shambles in Cardiff Bay.
From Dylan’s blog ‘In a move that will propel innovative Welsh companies into the heart of the American venture capital market, the University of Wales has opened an office in San-Jose, the self-proclaimed ‘capital of Silicon Valley’.
The Irish Innovation Centre (IIC), a launch-pad organisation for Irish start-up businesses in Silicon Valley, has invited the University of Wales to base itself within their company in a nod to a shared Celtic heritage and entrepreneurial spirit.
Together with its affiliate organisation, the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG), the Centre offers a wealth of resources to technology companies making the difficult transition across the Atlantic, including office space, legal and administrative help, conference facilities, and media/PR support.
The support network of the IIC, coupled with its location in Silicon Valley, will present a goldmine of opportunity for Welsh companies wishing to penetrate the US market. The establishment of a Welsh entrepreneurial base in the area could potentially make the US a far less hostile or risky area for Welsh investors and businessman, serving the dual purpose of diversifying and stimulating the Welsh economy.'
The full post is here
What a contrast with the Welsh Government whose actions on the Welsh economy have been non existent following the elections on May 5th.
UPDATE Here's some key quotes from the the Irish Innovation Centre about the partnership, the full press release is here
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans of the University of Wales explains that when he heard about the Irish Innovation Centre, “We thought it was a fantastic idea."
He then wrote about the centre in The Western Mail, praising the centre and wondering why Wales did not have an equivalent.
“Lo and behold I get an email from (ITLG President) John Hartnett saying, ‘we’d be more than happy to share this with our Celtic cousins, and why don’t you come over here and consider whether you’d like an office here for the University of Wales?’ So that’s what we’ve done.
From Dylan’s blog ‘In a move that will propel innovative Welsh companies into the heart of the American venture capital market, the University of Wales has opened an office in San-Jose, the self-proclaimed ‘capital of Silicon Valley’.
The Irish Innovation Centre (IIC), a launch-pad organisation for Irish start-up businesses in Silicon Valley, has invited the University of Wales to base itself within their company in a nod to a shared Celtic heritage and entrepreneurial spirit.
Together with its affiliate organisation, the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG), the Centre offers a wealth of resources to technology companies making the difficult transition across the Atlantic, including office space, legal and administrative help, conference facilities, and media/PR support.
The support network of the IIC, coupled with its location in Silicon Valley, will present a goldmine of opportunity for Welsh companies wishing to penetrate the US market. The establishment of a Welsh entrepreneurial base in the area could potentially make the US a far less hostile or risky area for Welsh investors and businessman, serving the dual purpose of diversifying and stimulating the Welsh economy.'
The full post is here
What a contrast with the Welsh Government whose actions on the Welsh economy have been non existent following the elections on May 5th.
UPDATE Here's some key quotes from the the Irish Innovation Centre about the partnership, the full press release is here
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans of the University of Wales explains that when he heard about the Irish Innovation Centre, “We thought it was a fantastic idea."
He then wrote about the centre in The Western Mail, praising the centre and wondering why Wales did not have an equivalent.
“Lo and behold I get an email from (ITLG President) John Hartnett saying, ‘we’d be more than happy to share this with our Celtic cousins, and why don’t you come over here and consider whether you’d like an office here for the University of Wales?’ So that’s what we’ve done.
Monday, June 6, 2011
With Jobcentre and private welfare to work staff being made redundant – what chance do the unemployed have?
We are a week away from the Government’s new welfare to work scheme called the Work Programme (basically Flexible New Deal with extras) going live in Wales.
Not that you would know from any Welsh media, political or current affairs debate or coverage as there has been precious little reporting of it beyond a post on the Bevan Foundation of the changes which Work & Pensions Minister Iain Duncan Smith has said is the greatest shake up of the welfare state since the Second World War.
The two Welsh providers chosen for the bidding process earlier this year are Working Links and Rehab Jobfit. Working Links has been active in welfare to work in Wales for about a decade and Rehab Jobfit is partnership between an Irish welfare to work provider and Interserve, a global support service and construction industry business.
But despite all the positive noises, it’s ironic that proposals which have been welcomed by many in the welfare to work industry and designed to help the neediest job seekers back in to employment could result in thousands of staff being made redundant.
The Department of Work & Pensions expect there will be 2,400 Jobcentre Plus staff cut across the UK (a 20% reduction )and Channel 4 news last week claim 10,000 could be made redundant at private sector welfare to work providers across the country (a 33% reduction), pretty grim news indeed.
All of this raises two questions, first can the Work Programme and it providers who are doing most of the heavy lifting succeed with less staff and higher volumes of clients?
And secondly particularly in Wales where unemployment is a constant feature, a fact reinforced today by the ICAEW/Grant Thornton UK Business Confidence Monitor highlighting worrying weakness in the Welsh labour market – will there be enough jobs created to take the slack of redundancies and the current unemployed in Wales who number 112,000?
Not that you would know from any Welsh media, political or current affairs debate or coverage as there has been precious little reporting of it beyond a post on the Bevan Foundation of the changes which Work & Pensions Minister Iain Duncan Smith has said is the greatest shake up of the welfare state since the Second World War.
The two Welsh providers chosen for the bidding process earlier this year are Working Links and Rehab Jobfit. Working Links has been active in welfare to work in Wales for about a decade and Rehab Jobfit is partnership between an Irish welfare to work provider and Interserve, a global support service and construction industry business.
But despite all the positive noises, it’s ironic that proposals which have been welcomed by many in the welfare to work industry and designed to help the neediest job seekers back in to employment could result in thousands of staff being made redundant.
The Department of Work & Pensions expect there will be 2,400 Jobcentre Plus staff cut across the UK (a 20% reduction )and Channel 4 news last week claim 10,000 could be made redundant at private sector welfare to work providers across the country (a 33% reduction), pretty grim news indeed.
All of this raises two questions, first can the Work Programme and it providers who are doing most of the heavy lifting succeed with less staff and higher volumes of clients?
And secondly particularly in Wales where unemployment is a constant feature, a fact reinforced today by the ICAEW/Grant Thornton UK Business Confidence Monitor highlighting worrying weakness in the Welsh labour market – will there be enough jobs created to take the slack of redundancies and the current unemployed in Wales who number 112,000?
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