So Sir Emyr Jones Parry, the former UN diplomat and man whose Convention recommended the law making referendum among other things, said today what many people already know and the Opposition Parties have been saying since May’s elections that Labour’s Welsh Government legislative programme is ‘not a natural fit’ for the problems facing Wales.
From BBC Wales ‘Speaking at a conference in Cardiff Bay, Sir Emyr said: "Perhaps the priorities in there (the Welsh Government's plans) are not a natural fit for the problems Wales confronts.
"That's a very diplomatic way of asking whether the Welsh economy, whether the skills Wales needs, whether the educational requirements Wales has... whether we think all of those are going to be strengthened by an obligation to have cycle lanes in a joined-up network across Wales.
"I'm not sure whether they actually hit the button."
I couldn’t have put it better myself, the Assembly needs to keep engaging and convincing voters it’s doing things to improve all our lives and I doubt that anything in Carwyn’s pre legislative statement would set voters pulses racing, apart from those who campaigned successfully and have their ideas included in the Programme for Government.
The Opposition parties weren’t immune from Sir Emyr’s criticism either accused of being equally unambitious in their legislative ideas, even those of us who are interested in Welsh politics would struggle to remember what was included in various Manifestos.
And he also added that after talking to the four parties during the referendum campaign he only got half an answer from one of them about what they would do with full legislative powers- who gave the half answer I wonder?
But his main aim was the Welsh Government who we’re told was stung by Sir Emyr’s legitimate criticism of fiddling while Rome burns, but was the Welsh Government’s reaction spin or did it sting enough for them to actually changes things - next week’s legislative statement will reveal all.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Enterprise Zones – a classic Welsh Government announcement.
Yesterday instead of not answering awkward questions about why Wales hadn’t managed to secure £355million of investment from Jaguar Land Rover to create 750 new jobs, the Business Minister Edwina Hart who has been invisible for the entire summer rearranging her department, suddenly appeared at Cardiff Business Club last night to announce the creation of 5 new Welsh Enterprise Zones.
The hurried announcement was classic Welsh Government; the areas chosen are highly political Cardiff, Deeside, the Vale of Glamorgan and Ebbw Vale either solid Labour or areas they need to keep voters sweet and then throw in Anglesey as a token gesture given its poor and up North.
The decision is a u turn from a Welsh Government that was dismissive of the value they bought and hell bent just a few short months ago from not having ‘Tory’ Enterprise Zones in Wales, but it looks like the business lobbying over the summer has changed minds. And besides Ministers know the Opposition won’t make any headway calling them to account over this, what’s left of the Welsh Business media are ineffective or in Edwina’s pocket and the public aren’t interested in political squabbles as long as there is some job creation.
Edwina and her team also managed to create a lot of noise last night with the suddenness of announcement which usefully changed the political and economic narrative away from the news about Jaguar Land Rover not coming to Wales. However further concrete details besides the 5 areas and sectors were hard to come by, probably because the Minister and Civil Servants don’t fully know themselves and even if the Opposition asked questions they wouldn’t get any worthwhile answers.
So there you have it the Welsh Government has created a useful distraction by its announcement of new Enterprise Zones safe in the knowledge there is unlikely to be any political price to pay for such blatant politicking and inefficient management of the Welsh economy - but Welsh voters seem happy to keep endorsing this at every Assembly election and as my teachers used to say you get what you deserve.
The hurried announcement was classic Welsh Government; the areas chosen are highly political Cardiff, Deeside, the Vale of Glamorgan and Ebbw Vale either solid Labour or areas they need to keep voters sweet and then throw in Anglesey as a token gesture given its poor and up North.
The decision is a u turn from a Welsh Government that was dismissive of the value they bought and hell bent just a few short months ago from not having ‘Tory’ Enterprise Zones in Wales, but it looks like the business lobbying over the summer has changed minds. And besides Ministers know the Opposition won’t make any headway calling them to account over this, what’s left of the Welsh Business media are ineffective or in Edwina’s pocket and the public aren’t interested in political squabbles as long as there is some job creation.
Edwina and her team also managed to create a lot of noise last night with the suddenness of announcement which usefully changed the political and economic narrative away from the news about Jaguar Land Rover not coming to Wales. However further concrete details besides the 5 areas and sectors were hard to come by, probably because the Minister and Civil Servants don’t fully know themselves and even if the Opposition asked questions they wouldn’t get any worthwhile answers.
So there you have it the Welsh Government has created a useful distraction by its announcement of new Enterprise Zones safe in the knowledge there is unlikely to be any political price to pay for such blatant politicking and inefficient management of the Welsh economy - but Welsh voters seem happy to keep endorsing this at every Assembly election and as my teachers used to say you get what you deserve.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Did anyone see Carwyn, because everyone saw Peter?
I want to start with offering my deepest condolences to the families of Phillip Hill, 45, Garry Jenkins, 39, David Powell, 50, and Charles Breslin, 62, who sadly died after the Gleision mine flooded. Despite having no direct connection to mining it’s heartbreaking to see coal still claiming Welsh lives in the 21st century.
Over at Dale & Co, Ian Dale’s new website one of its contributors Ed Staite has named Peter Hain Communicator of the Week for his handling of the Gleision mine tragedy near Pontradawe and despite his normal shameless self promotion and my own antipathy towards him I’d agree. He spoke well, was respectful, informative and represented his constituents, community and Wales very ably to the national and international media audience that had gathered at the mine site and the surrounding communities.
But despite the accolades it got me wondering, if you didn’t know any better and let’s face it most people who watched across the UK and further afield wouldn’t, you’d believe from last week that Peter Hain was Wales’s First Minister and leader of the Welsh Government, not simply the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.
He managed to totally out think and outmaneuver Carwyn Jones (admittedly not a particularly difficult task) who was there and met with families but remained in the background as Peter with help from his advisors took the lead on every front from the start of the unfolding tragedy. Everything from talking with the families, appearing with the police at press conferences and updating the gathered media to launching the appeal for families - would Alex Salmond, Peter Robinson or Martin McGuiness have allowed their respective Shadow Secretaries of State to take the lead in such circumstances in Scotland or Northern Ireland, I sincerely doubt it.
So why is Carwyn Jones who is after all supposed to be the man elected as Wales’s First Minister so willing to let Peter Hain do it in Wales, is what’s best for the Labour Party still more important than doing his job and leading the country, especially during such a dreadful tragedy?
Over at Dale & Co, Ian Dale’s new website one of its contributors Ed Staite has named Peter Hain Communicator of the Week for his handling of the Gleision mine tragedy near Pontradawe and despite his normal shameless self promotion and my own antipathy towards him I’d agree. He spoke well, was respectful, informative and represented his constituents, community and Wales very ably to the national and international media audience that had gathered at the mine site and the surrounding communities.
But despite the accolades it got me wondering, if you didn’t know any better and let’s face it most people who watched across the UK and further afield wouldn’t, you’d believe from last week that Peter Hain was Wales’s First Minister and leader of the Welsh Government, not simply the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.
He managed to totally out think and outmaneuver Carwyn Jones (admittedly not a particularly difficult task) who was there and met with families but remained in the background as Peter with help from his advisors took the lead on every front from the start of the unfolding tragedy. Everything from talking with the families, appearing with the police at press conferences and updating the gathered media to launching the appeal for families - would Alex Salmond, Peter Robinson or Martin McGuiness have allowed their respective Shadow Secretaries of State to take the lead in such circumstances in Scotland or Northern Ireland, I sincerely doubt it.
So why is Carwyn Jones who is after all supposed to be the man elected as Wales’s First Minister so willing to let Peter Hain do it in Wales, is what’s best for the Labour Party still more important than doing his job and leading the country, especially during such a dreadful tragedy?
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