"I don't want to go into Welsh Assembly issues because they won't be understood outside of Wales" said David Dimbleby, who recently dedicated Question Time to the London Mayoral race.
Well fuck off back to London then David. Go on, fuck off.
Thursday, 15 May 2008
QT
Learning A Lesson
Translation of a post by Vaughan Roderick
As I have criticised a few people in the Welsh language media of being obsessed with the local elections in Gwynedd because they live there, I hope I don't fall into the same trap by writing a few words concerning the latest developments in Cardiff where the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru have formed a coalition.
It seems that talks regarding that coalition have been rather unproblematic. One subject and one subject alone caused trouble and not because of any disagreement between the two parties but because Plaid Cymru has dug itself into a hole and cannot find a way out of it.
The council's plans to reorganize the county's schools are at the root of the problem. Those plans include a very substantial increase in the provision of Welsh language education -plans that in the end will lead to twenty primary and four comprehensive Welsh language schools in the capital. As one would expect Plaid Cymru supports the plans but in one area, namely Treganna, the nationalists have created dire problems for themselves.
Plaid Cymru's growth in Cardiff during recent years has been based on ensuring the support of some of the city's traditional working class voters (especially those belonging to ethnic minorities) adding them to the support received from the increasing number of Welsh speakers.
One of the wards which had been targetted by Plaid Cymru was Treganna. That campaign was in vain but in an attempt to please everybody Plaid opposed the council plan to close one of the local English medium schools in order to broaden the provision for Welsh medium education.
Plaid Cymru's councillors have found it impossible to reneg on that promise during their talks with the Liberal Democrats. The English school has been saved then and parents of children attending the Welsh school have had to content themselves with the promise that a brand new Welsh medium school will be built for them by 2011.
The council are confident that the promise will be realised. The parents, on the other hand, are doubtful. Whatever the truth is the promise of a new school in the future is of no use to the children who have to put up with limited and secod-rate facilities in the present.
The council has promised temporary measures for the situation but, as in Gwynedd, Plaid Cymru is learning that the anger of parents, be it rational or irrational, is one of the biggest problems when in control.
Blogmarole
I see Leighton Andrews is continuing his one-blog protest against the Assembly Commission. Well, at least it has given him something to blog about for a change. Unfortunately both he and Huw Lewis don't seem to grab the context of the Assembly Commission's guidelines, which follow those of Westminster, namely that online party politics is not to be funded by public money. It is funded by political parties, or by the politicians themselves. Making comparisons with communist era censorship is no more acceptable than making similarly disproportionate comparisons with nazi Germany would be.
Brown Languishes In Labour Grassroots Survey
A Labourhome.org survey of 330 party activists illustrates the extent of Gordon Brown's unpopularity within the Labour Party.
Recession
Grim but not unexpected news from Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, in The Telegraph today:
Mervyn King warned families to brace themselves for a further "squeeze" on household finances as rising energy bills and food prices continue to rise.
Mr King said that inflation was set to increase sharply to about 3.7 per cent - almost double the official target. As a result most British people will feel poorer this year as pay rises fail to keep pace with rising costs.
The Governor - who said that "the nice decade is behind us" - also warned homeowners that property prices would fall further and that it was impossible to predict the scale of the decline...The prospects for the British economy have worsened since the Bank's last inflation report in February.
You can read the full article HERE.
The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Mail also cover the story, which will not help Gordon Brown's umpteenth relaunch very much at all. The BBC reports that Gordon Brown is likely be quizzed later on the state of the British economy at his regular press conference.
Edwards Endorses Obama
"The reason I'm here tonight is because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I."
Part 2
"There is one man who knows and understands that this is a time for bold leadership. There is one man that knows how to create the change, the lasting change, that you have to build from the ground up. There is one man who knows in his heart there is time to create one America, not two ... and that man is Barack Obama."
Edwards, has a total of 19 pledged delegates who may or may not pledge their support for Obama at the Democratic National Committee's August convention in Denver, Colorado.
Edwards, who is not a superdelegate, said last week that it was fine for Clinton to continue making her case but expressed concern that a continued campaign could damage the party's prospects in November.
Yesterday's endorsement could help Obama reach out to white blue-collar voters, a demographic that Obama has failed to capture, most notably in the recent Pennsylvania and West Virginia primaries.
Reader Survey
Please take the time to fill in this reader survey. The survey should not take more than 5-7 minutes to complete, and there are a few prizes you may win, including iPods, Amazon and Debenhams vouchers, and even a West Wing boxed DVD set.
Thankyou kindly.
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Tory Toffs
Alex Hilton and Mike Ion's use of this video demonstrates just how desperate Labour is becoming. So there are a few 'Toffs' in the Conservative Party. Hardly breaking news. Sure, some 'Toffs' are insufferable snobs, but those who practice an inverted snobbery are no better.
Tamsin Flounders
Tamsin Dunwoody can't seem to answer the question as to whether Gordon Brown is an asset or a liability.
Hat tip to Oliver Kamm, who notes:
The truthful answer is obviously that the PM is a huge liability for Labour in Crewe and Nantwich, and everywhere else. The expedient answer is that he is an asset. No one would expect a Labour candidate to say anything else, so the patent implausibility of the answer would not be a news story. Heavens, I've said absurd things myself (though not on Labour's behalf) in interviews just to make it through to the next question. You can understand that Labour's campaign is desperate; but the Crewe and Nantwich campaign is thunderingly inept as well.
That LCO
David Cornock reminds us of what Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy had to say about the LCO on housing last year:
"I think that the LCO that deals with the ending of the sale of council houses will produce controversy. For the past two decades in Wales, the fact that houses have been sold by local authorities has meant that people in Wales, by becoming home owners, have improved their lot.
"There are areas of housing need that we must be careful about, and the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy touched on one or two of those issues today. However, a warning shot should be sent by those of us who represent constituencies that have traditionally contained a large proportion of council houses."
Yesterday he limited himself to saying this:
"I am pleased to inform the House that the proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Housing) Order has been laid today, as Command Paper (7379). Copies of this can be found in the Vote Office and will be placed in the Library from 12 noon. I have written to the Chairmen of the Welsh Affairs Committee and the House of Lords Constitutional Committee to request they undertake pre-legislative scrutiny."
Explaining Welsh Patagonia
The Western Mail seems to have some difficulties distinguishing Patagonia from the 'Welsh colony' Y Wladfa, and Y Wladfa from the actual area presently under threat from the Chaiten volcano, namely Cwm Hyfryd.
Patagonia is a geographic region containing the southernmost portion of South America. Mostly located in Argentina and partly in Chile, it comprises the Andes mountains to the west and south, and plateau and low plains to the east. It is roughly as large as Western Europe.
The Welsh colony in Argentine Patagonia is basically the Province of Chubut, a region covering 224,686 km² (86,751 sq. miles). The original Welsh colony is located in the east of the province, centred around the lower Chubut valley and the atlantic coast. Here we find the Welsh towns of Porth Madryn, Rawson, Trelew, Gaiman and Dolavon.
The area presently under threat from the Chaiten volcano is an offshoot of the original colony. It is located in the far west of the province, in the Andes, near the border with Chile. It is called Cwm Hyfryd and is the location of the Welsh towns of Trevelin and Esquel.
Same Ole Slippery Slope
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said yesterday that setting up an English parliament would be a disaster as Wales and Scotland would demand independence. Wasn't that what they said about devolution in the first place?
“The moment you start to look at this you see it starts to unravel,” he said, which loosely translated means "Not now darling. I've got a headache".
He said there was “no serious sentiment” in England for an English parliament. Unlike on the blogosphere then, eh?
Patagonian Pompeii
The Welsh colony of Cwm Hyfryd in Argentinian Patagonia faces the immediate threat of an earthquake after geologists warned that the enormous Chaiten volcano in neighbouring Chile has a 50% chance of imploding.
There were also fears that an earthquake could cause the region’s San Martin reservoir to break its dam, releasing millions of gallons of water towards the Welsh town of Trevelin, which has a population of around 6,500.
Should the volcano collapse, the region would be left in a state of “permanent night” for several days.
Residents there, including several people from Wales, have been told by officials to stockpile tinned food, bottled water, batteries and candles in case of such an occurrence, which has been compared in a worst case scenario to Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed in AD 79 by Mount Vesuvius.
And schools were yesterday issued with governmental advice on what to do in the event of an earthquake.
The warnings came as plans were unveiled to send some young people from Patagonia to Wales to help them escape from conditions which many fear are beginning to damage people’s health.
“We’ve been told there are three possibilities,” said Gill Stephen, a teacher from Cardiff who is teaching Welsh at Ysgol Gymraeg yr Andes in the towns of Esquel and Trevelin.
“It may just continue to pump out smoke, ash and dust as it has been doing then quieten down. Secondly, it may erupt and spew out lava and thirdly, it could implode and cause a substantial earthquake.
“Should the latter happen, there is the added problem that Trevelin is built in the path of flood waters of the San Martin reservoir, should the dam that holds the water break.”
The Chaiten volcano, around 50 miles away from Patagonia, erupted 12 days ago for the first time in more than 9,000 years, spewing ash and smoke 12 miles into the air in images clearly visible from Nasa satellites.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet warned on Saturday that towns surrounding the volcano’s exclusion zone, from which 12,000 people have been evacuated, could become “permanently uninhabitable”.
Chilean daily newspaper La Tercera has since reported that a study of the volcano has found the odds of it collapsing as a result of the build up of magma and other materials in the volcano’s dome are at least 50%.
The country’s National Geologic and Mining Service, Sernageomin, has said that any such collapse would cause the release of molten gas and rock capable of destroying everything within a 10-mile radius.
While Cwm Hyfryd is not within this danger zone, it has been constantly covered in a thick layer of ash while the air is clogged with dust and finer ash as Chaiten erupts continuously.
Its airports and roads have been closed, though roads have reopened, and Ysgol Gymraeg yr Andes, which teaches Welsh to young adults, reopened yesterday for the first time in more than a week.
“The ash is now causing illness and concern in our part of Patagonia and it is continually falling from the sky like snow,” said Ms Stephen.
“By now, people are feeling the effects on their health and breathing and coughing problems are widespread. People with asthma are being told not to go outside at all.
“There has also been some rain so there is a smell of sulphur thick in the air.”
There are now plans in place to bring some of the more than 100 adults and children studying Welsh at Ysgol Gymraeg yr Andes in the Patagonian towns of Esquel and Trevelin to Wales to further their Welsh learning.
“It has had a serious effect here with schools in Esquel and Trevelin closed for more than a week,” said Gill Stephen, who teaches at the school.
“As a result of the difficulties we’ve had and the unfortunate effect of the volcano on our Welsh lessons, we’ve accepted an offer from Urdd Gobaith Cymru, who have offered accommodation and training for two people for nothing at their Glan-llyn centre near Bala for six months.
“There, they’ll get to escape from the dust and the ash while continuing to learn through the medium of Welsh.”
The Welsh Language Project and Menter Iaith Patagonia have launched an appeal to raise £2,000 for two airfares to Wales and say they have received early messages of interest from other organisations who could perhaps host more pupils. They have already received a donation of more than £200 from Welsh teacher Ceri Evans, from Haverfordwest, who raises money for a Welsh-language fund every year.
To contribute to the appeal, please send a cheque to: Mentrau Iaith Cymru, Y Sgwâr, Llanrwst, LL26 0LG. Write “Ysgol Gymraeg yr Andes” on the back of each cheque.
Source
Amendments
Nia Griffith MP tried to have the Education and Skills Bill amended yesterday in the House of Commons: "after ‘England’, insert ‘and Wales’."
"In proposing the amendment, I very much applaud the excellent work of Jane Hutt, the Assembly Minister for Education, Culture and Young People, and her "colleagues in innovatively and imaginatively developing the 14-to-19 curriculum in Wales.
"I fully respect the power and responsibility that the Assembly has with regard to education, but my reason for proposing the amendment is quite simply to ensure that if the Welsh Assembly Government see the need to make the entitlement to education or training up until the age of 18 compulsory in future, they have the facility to do so without the need for primary legislation from the UK Government...
"...once the measures in the Bill come into force, making entitlement up to the age of 18 compulsory in England, there may be cross-border issues and unintended consequences that make compulsion desirable in Wales. I propose the amendment in order to ensure that that option will be open to the Welsh Assembly Government."
Aw, how sweet of Nia to seek to relieve the Assembly of the need for unnecessary primary legislation. Thank goodness she is on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, where she can do her bit to relieve us of more of those pesky LCOs.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, Huw Irranca-Davies, praised her "virtuous" probing of "the intentions of the Welsh Assembly Government", but assured her that such an amendment was necessary:
"The Government of Wales Act 2006 allows the Assembly to acquire enhanced legislative powers through legislative competence orders—LCOs. If, based on the English experience, the Welsh Assembly Government decide to pursue the approach taken in England, they have the option of proposing a legislative competence order to seek powers to enable them to raise the participation age.
"In the meantime, we are working with the Assembly Government to ensure that the Bill is drafted in such a way that it enables all aspects of the policy to be capable of application in Wales in future, should they decide to pursue such an approach. However, if the amendment were accepted, it would apply the duty to participate and the rest of the provisions of part 1 in exactly the same form to Wales as to England. It would not allow flexibility to reflect different structures, provisions or qualifications in Wales."
Nia Griffith withdrew her amendment thus:
I listened carefully to the Minister and was particularly impressed by his assurance that it is possible for the Welsh Assembly Government to bring forth a LCO, should they so desire. I was also impressed by his emphasis on the need to leave them some flexibility as an option. If my amendment was accepted into the main measure that we are debating tonight, it could impinge upon that flexibility. Therefore, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
So what the fuck was all that about then?
Meanwhile there were a couple of other amendments of interest to the Senedd, as HID explained:
"The Bill contains framework powers for the National Assembly for Wales to legislate on regulation and inspection. The amendments would alter those powers so that they more comprehensively cover the regulation of the independent sector. That would avoid the position whereby Westminster regulates some parts of the sector and the Government in Wales regulate others.
"Clause 133 enables the National Assembly for Wales to legislate on the arrangements for the registration and regulation of independent schools in the context of educational provision and, more generally, of pupil welfare. The framework provision also confers power on the Assembly to introduce measures on the inspection of maintained schools for children of or below compulsory school age, and other education and training for those aged 16 and under, as well as the inspection of independent schools and education and training provided other than in a school to those of compulsory school age.
"The amendments would extend the framework power to enable the National Assembly to regulate independent nursery schools and part-time educational training provided at independent educational institutions, which provide education for one or more pupils of compulsory school age. That will ensure that the power is comprehensive in giving the Assembly the ability to legislate on regulation in the independent sector."
Blog Censorship? Not Really
Huw Lewis, Leighton Andrews and Bethan Jenkins are all kicking up a fuss about an email they received yesterday entitled "GUIDANCE FOR MEMBERS ON WEBSITES FUNDED THROUGH THE OFFICE COSTS ALLOWANCE".
"Censorship!" they cry. Well, not really.
As Betsan reminds us, they could always follow Paul Flynn's advice and pay for their websites out of their own pockets. There are plenty of free blogging services, and on their wages they have more than enough money to pay for their own private websites, so frankly I have little sympathy for cries of "censorship". They get enough expenses paid by the taxpayer as it is.
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