Thursday, January 3, 2013

Job creation and reviving the economy are everyone’s priority Leanne – what difference can you make?

Over at the Institute of Welsh Affairs blog Click on Wales the four party leaders have been given a platform to spread their wisdom and ideas at the start of 2013, there's the usual guff about Wales needing strong leadership from Andrew RT Davies, rugby and platitudes from our dear leader Carwyn Jones and today’s offering from Plaid leader Leanne Wood about sorting out the welsh economy and creating sustainable jobs. (Kirsty Williams is up tomorrow)

On the jobs and economy, Leanne's article is nothing that hasn’t been said before by countless Welsh politicians, academics, business people and journalists. Yet nothing ever happens after the obvious has been said and the majority of people agree what needs doing and what action needs to be taken.
I wish Leanne Wood and anyone else, politico or not who wants to make the debate on the Welsh economy a top priority day after day, but we still have a long way to go before that happens in political and voter circles and even longer before Wales’s economy shows any signs of the sustained growth or job creation we all whatever out political colours want, as two welsh respected economists told BBC Wales earlier this week.

But Leanne does get some credit for trying and her IWA article is here

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Bits & Pieces

Nothing really grabbing me to blog, but here's a few interesting articles worth sharing.

Adam Price’s writing for NESTA  (National Endowment for Science Technology Science and the Arts) with one of 13 ideas for 2013, he opted for a Social Science Park, similar to Stanford’s tech park that produced a myriad of ideas, innovation and new technology in the tech field.  A social science park would be an excellent idea and one that even a Welsh Government allergic to change and enterprise would be an excellent way to harness ideas, innovation and intellectual property within Wales Universities, public services for everyone’s benefit and justify in many Welsh politicians minds they weren't selling out for Wales economic benefit.

The other 12 ideas from NESTA for next year are here

Secondly the Resolution Foundation's report on household debt and economic growth published just before Christmas is a sobering read, but one politicians of all parties should read, digest and act on.

Thirdly Scotland’s Tom Nairn over at Click on Wales on English Nationalism and Euroscepticism.

Jac will be back – not sure why Jac o the North's blog suddenly disappeared but he is moving to a new site at  http://jacothenorth.net/  and he will be back blogging soon according to the website.

And finally a Happy New Year to you all and best wishes for 2013 - see you on the other side!