Welsh Ramblings

Time for Carwyn

2009-12-01T22:32:00.003Z

It's safe for us now to welcome Carwyn Jones' election as leader of Labour in Wales. The wider interest for those outside the Labour party is that Carwyn is now going to be Labour's candidate for First Minister. His coronation will naturally only be possible with the support of both parties in the Welsh Government.

Even Labour's most ardent critics have to accept that this contest has been a marked contrast to previous leadership races in Wales, which usually featured a heady mixture of controversy, rigging and outside intervention. The current race has been conducted entirely on Welsh terms, which is a good thing. Ordinary Labour members appear to have had the result they wanted, predictable though it was.

Carwyn is the least tribal and closest to Plaid Cymru of the three candidates. He is an intelligent and astute man and the most well-known of the three leadership candidates (something important for the continuing viability of the devolution project). There is also evidence from Carwyn's previous record and leadership manifesto that he will continue to advocate policies that mark distance and difference from the cosy centre-right consensus at Westminster, including Plaid policies. This bodes well for the One Wales agreement and the coalition, which was placed in peril just last week by sections of the party far more reactionary than Carwyn.

Now that the matter of who leads Labour has been settled, the next two weeks will see the media and the rival parties focus on who leads Wales as a country. Carwyn could win some hearts and minds by putting his energies into starting the referendum mechanisms in January, to allow an autumn referendum. That would be enough to secure a coronation that would have the support of progressive people from across the political spectrum in Wales.

Taking on Thatcher's Ghost, again

2009-11-30T14:27:00.004Z

It's timely that days after we reported on Plaid's role in the Welsh Government's housing policies, the people of Wales' Government is making a fresh attempt to gain the powers to do something about the chronic shortage of affordable housing in Wales.

Suspending the 'Right to Buy' council houses is seen by housing experts and policy-makers as a key way of ensuring that social housing doesn't disappear into the property market. Plaid's Deputy Minister for Housing Jocelyn Davies must be particularly keen to ensure that the 6,500 homes she is building do not get into private hands. Under the current system, thanks to the Thatcher era legislation that Labour refused to repeal or alter, taxpayers money indirectly subsidises the shaky housing market and thousands of decent homes have been lost to the underpaid and their families.

The fresh bid is wider than previous attempts to control our own housing policy, and contains legislative scope for action on homelessness, sustainable housing and second homes. Those are three areas that are very important to Plaid.

Westminster will have to come up with a very good excuse if they veto this again. Perhaps the Welsh Labour party, with its re-energised zest for social justice and left-wing politics, could have a word with their colleagues in London about giving us these powers?

There is an important point to make here- why is the Labour party, allegedly the party of social justice and helping the most needy, taking part in preventing us from abolishing Thatcherite policies? Ramblings' theory is that most of Welsh Labour's MPs probably support the 'Right to Buy'.

Don't let him off the hook

2009-11-27T11:19:00.003Z

There have been a few online pieces analysing Peter Hain's position on devolution in Wales, following an interesting week where he appeared to try and derail the progress on the ruling coalition in Cardiff Bay.

The article at WalesHome alleges that Hain is in fact sincere about taking devolution forward, and that he simply understands the political conditions very well and does not want to hold a referendum under difficult circumstances in which it could be lost.

Syniadau's comment is closer to the truth. His allegation is that Hain sees things through the lens of 'Labour Vs the Tories', through the lens of British electoral politics. It is true that Peter Hain is by default a supporter of devolution, but he only wants it to happen in such a fashion that it will bolster the fortunes of the Labour party. He is a British politician not a Welsh one, and it isn't clear why anyone would expect him to behave differently. Neath is simply the constituency he happens to represent in order for him to enjoy positions in the Cabinet at Westminster. His involvement in Welsh affairs is strictly in the sense that he is Westminster's man in Wales, not the other way around.

Similarly, during his address to the Assembly this week Peter Hain attacked Nick Bourne on the basis that "the Tories will not support a 'Yes' vote" and that "you can't deliver Tory voters to the 'Yes' side". This is quite divorced from the political picture in Wales in which everyone involved in the devolution debate has welcomed the fact that even senior Tories now support further devolution. Hain would undermine this for party political reasons, because his priority is what happens at the British level, not what happens in Wales.

Finally, it is for these reasons that Peter Hain's response to the Holtham Commissions findings is disgraceful. He is more interested in laying down "election gauntlets" than in resolving a significant fiscal problem. The Western Mail's coverage of what is a pretty dry issue is usually sound, but this time their take on Peter Hain's position lets him off the hook. The article they produced ignores the established reality; Wales' public funding will be cut regardless of which party comes into Government at Westminster.

United Kingdom supports torture

2009-11-26T22:16:00.004Z

Is it really any wonder that some people in Wales pursue freedom for their country from the UK, when you read reports that the UK has recently been complicit in torture?

The evidence for British complicity and support for the use of torture comes from a report by Human Rights Watch, an NGO that has most often been criticised for being biased towards Western countries. The evidence is not really a surprise for those of us on the Welsh Left who have never been supportive of the alleged "War On Terror".

Quite simply, the British Government has pursued international policies which are more likely to cause terrorism than to stop it. They really are a bad regime considering the values that they espouse.

The ongoing Iraq Inquiry is proving that what people like Plaid and the anti-war movement were saying was correct all along. Anyone on the demonstrations across Wales and the rest of Europe would have known at the time that we were all right and it was the Labour government in Westminster and the Conservatives who were wrong. The Inquiry and the Human Rights Watch report should certainly make anyone who criticises Cuba pause for thought.

But this is not a cause for celebration. The problem with the UK advocating torture and supporting dishonesty is that it undermines the legitimacy and credibility of democratic, Western states and makes it impossible to put the case for human rights to some of the world's more oppressive societies. The UK will find it difficult to lecture anyone on torture now, and that is a shame.

It's very refreshing for us that are "Welsh not British" to know that a free Wales would have no need or possible inclination to torture anyone.

Well done Jocelyn

2009-11-26T10:21:00.004Z

It is excellent news that even in a time of recession and economic crisis, one of Plaid's Ministers is co-ordinating record levels of spending on affordable housing. Jocelyn keeps a lower profile than many other Plaid elected representatives, but her work-rate on housing has clearly contributed to today's news that investment in affordable housing has gone up 20%. This is in spite of warnings from the Opposition that the Welsh Government would not achieve the One Wales target of 6,500 new affordable homes by 2011. We're now halfway towards meeting that particular commitment which was put in the agreement on Plaid Cymru's insistence.

It's interesting that the policies of the Welsh Government are at odds with New Labour's approach to housing that they have championed in Westminster under Blair and Brown. In fact they almost totally contradict them in spirit if not in practice. New Labour's housing policy has been to essentially continue the Thatcherite stance of supporting a highly speculative bubble based on property, which has seen the supply of social housing dry up. Combine that with Labour refusing to reform the strict Treasury rules which effectively prevent Councils from building houses, and that has led to a chronic shortage of homes. These areas of policy are of course outside of Wales' control for now, but with legislation we could get around them.

This might be a lesson for Labour in Wales to learn. When they wonder exactly how primary law-making powers would help the people of Wales, they need to look no further than Jocelyn Davies' Affordable Housing LCO which was kicked into the long grass by New Labour because it was too radical and challenged Westminster's market-based consensus on housing.

In particular, Huw Lewis needs to look at this issue and respond because his apparent radical politics (and his support for these kind of Plaid-style housing solutions) are simply not achievable under the current devolution settlement.

Let's wait and see whether his socialism is from the heart, or whether it is subject to Westminster's approval.

Coalition safe for now

2009-11-24T17:31:00.004Z

There's no need to get excited as the predicted collapse of the Welsh Government has failed to happen.

But it's clear that Plaid Cymru flexed its muscles earlier and simply will not be taken for a ride.

Rhodri Morgan under pressure in the Senedd Chamber appeared to contradict his press release with Peter Hain and the Party Chair. In the statement with Hain and Garry Owen, it appeared that the leadership of Welsh Labour were ruling out the possibility of a referendum during the lifetime of this Assembly. Hain's meddling caused embarassment for the First Minister who waffled and backtracked. It would be an utter disgrace if the right-wing MPs in Welsh Labour made the retirement of a much loved Welsh leader into a divided and incoherent shambles.

In the Chamber and in a subsequent statement supported by Ieuan Wyn Jones the First Minister affirmed that "nothing has been ruled in or ruled out, including, if it proved practical, a referendum in the autumn". This statement pretty much amounts to a retraction of Peter Hain's version of events.

It appears that Plaid have overruled Welsh Labour's leadership on this occasion, and that a referendum in autumn 2010, fast becoming a strong proposition, is still on the cards. If that possibility gets ruled out by the next Welsh Labour leader, then he or she should not expect Plaid's support.

The whole debacle serves as a huge reminder that Rhodri Morgan has to try and satisfy the British wing of his party, and the MPs, and that playing that game inevitably has forced him to contradict his own press statements. There should be a consultation in the Labour movement about this massive paradox, rather than re-running their 2007 consultation about acquiring powers.

His would-be successors should be looking at this and learning their lessons. Will Welsh Labour ever think for itself? Or will they continue to be taken for a ride by Peter Hain and yesterday's men?

Heads of the Valleys road dualling

2009-11-20T14:16:00.005Z

Flicking through the Assembly's record of proceedings for stories for Ramblings, a very important story about the Heads of the Valleys road programme comes up. It has been blogged about already this week but hasn't had a thorough treatment.

The record makes sobering reading for those who accuse Plaid Cymru of prioritising "nation-building" north-south links at the expense of safety-orientated east-west links. The Heads of the Valleys road programme is particularly serious, because the eventual allegation from the arguments of Labour AMs such as Huw Lewis and Alun Davies is that the Welsh Government's inaction could effectively be responsible for more people dying on the undualled section of the A465. Leadership candidate Huw Lewis was involved in a number of press stories in the Valleys papers last year, campaigning with RCT Labour councillors and petitioning Ieuan.

Alun Davies' charge against Ieuan Wyn Jones is that the Plaid Minister has let the road building scheme slip from a 2015 completion date to a 2020 completion date during his term in office. It has been blogged about elsewhere, but it's worth reading the record. Ieuan was able to competently defend his own record, the 2020 completion date has in fact been inherited from the previous Labour administration.

The Plaid leader made the point that he could complete all of his north-south road improvements (very important to the party) for a fraction of the cost of the Heads of the Valleys road. But despite this he has chosen to prioritise the east-west dualling, it is in fact the only road programme in Wales that has a finish date. It is also the most expensive programme in Wales, at a time when other roads have had to be scrapped because Plaid generally prefers to invest in public transport where practical.

Politics takes on a whole new meaning when peoples' lives are at risk, and from reading the record you can't help thinking that Alun Davies is misguided on this issue and is going for the throat to bolster his Blaenau Gwent candidacy credentials. The facts speak for themselves.

A tale of two speeches

2009-11-19T14:08:00.003Z

Che notes that excerpts from one of Rhodri Morgan's last speeches deserve a wider audience than simply being in the pages of the Western Mail. The outgoing First Minister's comments about Wales' increasingly internationalist image are more examples of why he will be fondly remembered, despite doing a number of things with which Ramblings disagreed like sitting on the fence and protecting Tony Blair over Iraq. But nonetheless, there is a time for forgiveness and Rhodri clearly understands the potential contribution Wales can make to the world.

In a speech that Simon Dyda says "could have been written by Ty Gwynfor", Rhodri points out that-
“Malta has a population hardly bigger than Cardiff, but has a direct seat at the table and access to the entire EU decision-making machinery.”

Adam Price also this week made what could be one of his last significant speeches before he returns after studying in America. The blogosphere noted Adam's comments about Wales' national pyschology and lack of confidence, and the need to overcome this.

Rhodri's words ("For too long, our lack of confidence had emerged as a sense of suspicion of the wider world") echo Adam's position, though they come from different political traditions. Rhodri Morgan has mapped out clearly what Welsh Labour needs to do to remain relevant and not surrender Welshness to Plaid Cymru.

The world is becoming smaller and more interdependent. Wales being small is thus no longer a barrier to our success.

The All Wales Convention's recommendations won't of course deliver what nationalists want. They won't deliver anything particularly close to Scottish-style powers or anything that meaningful. But for the sake of confidence alone, a "Yes" vote will be another important step forward.

The financial cost of More Powers

2009-11-18T16:28:00.004Z

What would be the financial cost to the taxpayer of Wales attaining direct law-making powers in the 20 fields currently on offer?

This is a question that the All Wales Convention at first couldn't answer. But during their public consultation it became frequently asked, so they looked for evidence and advice and heavily scrutinised it. This at least shows they were listening to people.

They found that the price of freedom in those defined areas will in government terms be cost neutral. In real terms, just over £1m. The judicial capacity already exists and once you count the savings made from getting rid of Peter Hain's discredited LCO system, we're left with a very affordable tab to pick up.

This blows away one of the myths being put about by the dinosaurs at True Wales.

Spreading the Good News

2009-11-18T10:37:00.002Z

There has already been plenty of blogging about the much predicted result of the All Wales Convention's detailed and lengthy field work. It is an entirely positive thing that the Convention has recommended a referendum and has said that one could be won. This echoes everything Welsh Ramblings and other bloggers have been saying about the constitutional situation, and endorses Plaid Cymru's political strategy of working with Labour to try and take Wales forward.

Of course, it is not the be all and end all, this is just another measure of progress. The timing of the referendum is still up in the air and will be for the politicians decide. But right now, this is the result we wanted and expected. We need to hear from Labour's "Welsh" MPs how they feel about the Convention's report and recommendations. We will know more about how to take the situation further once they make their intentions clear, particularly Peter Hain.

Labour's devo-sceptic wing needs to seriously consider its position and start getting on board with progress, rather than risk standing against the tide of history.

Just a brief one

2009-11-17T14:11:00.004Z

"As nationalists the lesson is clear: we should each of us start to think and behave prefiguratively as if our nation is already free. We must be the Wales we want to create: a vibrant, self-empowering, dynamic country that emphasises the power of our own initiative."
From Adam Price's lecture for the Institute of Welsh Politics on Monday night.

We need to build up our confidence and our post-colonial mindset as a precursor to political liberation.

Tomorrow might well set us on the way to a referendum. Ramblings will take a look at the situation and give comment, but it's surely obvious that the 'Yes' vote will not so much be about the actual powers as it will be about the confidence and symbolism of taking another step forward.

Team Carwyn link to BBC attacks

2009-11-13T17:03:00.005Z

Rumours of Aneurin Glyndwr's demise were thankfully unfounded, as the site is very much alive and as dire as ever. Their latest post is a pretty brutal attack on BBC Wales, accusing the public service broadcaster of being a "Nat factory" and questioning salaries and expenses.

This isn't the first time the site has attacked the BBC, with a previous post containing a number of personal attacks on current and former members of staff and again questioning the broadcaster's impartiality.

Aneurin Glyndwr is of course officially endorsed by Labour Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain. This is quite a serious endorsement, with the grubby site being sanctioned right from the top Labour's Kremlin.

It has been alleged to be run byDavid Taylor, a Labour activist who works for Leighton Andrews and is now a key campaign helper for Carwyn Jones' leadership campaign. He has since put it on record that he does not run the site, but helped set it up.

Can we therefore assume that Carwyn Jones is happy with this zealous and pretty spiteful campaign against the BBC?

Kiss of Death

2009-11-12T10:42:00.002Z

From an impartial position it can certainly be said Huw Lewis' campaign has had a fairly decent impact on Welsh political circles and the commentariat, although it has barely made a dint on ordinary Welsh peoples lives (which isn't Huw's fault).

Although non-Labour voices have criticised Huw's conversion to radical left-wing politics (suggesting it is only skin deep and possibly is designed to ouflank Plaid's radicalism) and to supporting devolution in general, even Ramblings would agree that he has made a strong pitch to Labour members in terms of being the 'different' candidate. His campaign website is also excellent in terms of appeal and design. Calling him a "Mainstream Prophet" like WalesHome has is a bit naive, seeing as Huw's socialism is predicated on not disagreeing with Westminster on any issue, but still Huw has looked as someone who Plaid could work with. This would have been inconceivable before the campaign.

However, the endorsement of Lord Kinnock and Glenys Kinnock is surely something that completely undermines Huw's moderately succesful rebranding. It reminds us of the real tendencies that a Huw Lewis premiership would be tapping in to.

A Huw Lewis-led Wales would unfortunately be relying on the support of those who want to hold Wales back, those who only want further powers if in the words of Hain "Westminster's ultimate sovereignty is protected" and those who believe the LCO system works.

The Kinnocks are the two of the biggest Uncle Toms in Welsh history.

Hain in denial over Afghanistan

2009-11-12T10:21:00.002Z

Anyone who saw the BBC Wales news last night might have seen Peter Hain and Elfyn Llwyd live outside Westminster, discussing the war in Afghanistan, the human cost of which is rising on a weekly basis. Afghanistan is one of the biggest political issues for the people of Wales at present, but Peter Hain's defence of the unwinnable conflict was flimsy at best. Sending more troops will mean causing more deaths, both of Welsh servicemen and Afghans.

Elfyn Llwyd made the alternative case and the one that more Welsh people recognise- that Afghanistan is looking more and more like Vietnam by the day.

The pressure must surely be mounting on pro-war Labour MPs like Peter Hain, as the United States most important man in Afghanistan has sensationally warned the US Government that sending more troops is "not a good idea".

Aneurin Glyndwr leaps from farce to farce

2009-11-10T10:33:00.005Z

Welsh Labour's biggest ever internet farce has come to an early end, with the widely mocked Aneurin Glyndwr website now appearing to be inactive, according to Betsan's blog.

At the time of this post, the link to Aneurin Glyndwr leads to a username/password interface under the mispelled heading "Anuerin Glyndwr".

Let's not pull punches, the website was supposed to be a jewel in the crown for Labour's internet presence, or as Peter Hain described it "an Obama moment". Aneurin Glyndwr also claimed that Rhodri Morgan backed the site's launch, although the First Minister leading denied this. In a first for Welsh politics, the website was even mocked in different countries and in non-political internet communities. This in itself is something of an achievement.

Leading Labour "online activist" David Taylor wrote recently in the Institute of Welsh Affairs' journal Agenda that his Aneurin Glyndwr site had turned out to be a success despite initially being mocked.

Have Welsh Labour supremos now moved to shut it down? After all, the site itself continued to be cringeworthy for some time after its launch, containing badly thought-out attacks on BBC Wales employees amongst other gems.

The site has clearly become a liability for Leighton Andrews who will now be looking for a top post if Carwyn becomes First Minister. How can he be taken seriously when his staff are responsible for such a hideous own goal?

With all that said, we'd rather it had stayed up.

Welsh Labour talk up "mutualism" but they failed to deliver

2009-11-10T10:19:00.007Z

Edwina Hart's campaign manager Andrew Davies has called for Wales to lead the way in promoting co-operatives and mutuals, in response to what he deems the "catastrophic failure of the banking system". Considering he is the Welsh Government's Finance Minister, these comments are very welcome.

Mr. Davies' speech that is quoted in the Western Mail article contains ideological references resonate well with Plaid Cymru and the party's tradition of decentralist socialism. A particularly interesting point from the article is that the Minister is apparently "animated by the idea of a citizen’s bank which could operate on a not-for-dividend basis".

But in practice, Andrew Davies rejected such an idea when Plaid thinkers like Adam Price and Leanne Wood advocated the "People's Bank" (a not-for-dividend model based on Post Offices) last year.

Adam suggested it back in 2006, before the financial crisis. We raised the idea last year and Adam re-iterated the demand this February.

Andrew Davies, Leighton Andrews and other Welsh Labour AMs chose not to support the idea at the time, instead signing a statement of opinion saying they would "promote the idea to the UK Government". Hardly inspiring stuff.

They have the right ideas but no ambition whatsoever. It would be nice if the next First Minister saw Wales creating its own People's Bank as the way forward, rather than "promoting" ideas to a right-wing and discredited UK Government.

Aggression towards Venezuela

2009-11-09T15:05:00.004Z

In a departure from Welsh affairs it's worth looking at the current moves to bolster the United States' declining authority in Latin America, in particular the further strengthening of military ties between the US and Colombia. It's good that there is support for the policies of Venezuela's current government from politicians from the broad progressive spectrum in Wales and the UK, with politicians from the Labour party, Plaid, the SNP, the Greens and others all praising different aspects of social policy there.

At the same time, there are currently huge tensions in the Americas. Democracy has taken away much of the USA's influence over the region, with regime after regime falling to the left through ballot box change. The right has lost ground electorally and is looking to revert to its familiar old tactics of coup d'etat, as we saw recently in Honduras. Obviously, the previous Bush administration was fully supportive of that kind of brinkmanship, but many analysts thought that the Obama administration would be entirely different. Although there has been some welcome thawing in terms of dialogue, elements of the ruling class in the USA are now ramping up the militarisation of Colombia, which is the last major pro-US government in the northern part of South America.

America has of course always had a presence in Colombia, but the military agreement signed on October 30th almost officially renounces Colombian independence and sovereignty, and turns the country into a defacto client state.

A US Air Force document submitted to Congress in May 2009 details the scale and purpose of America's involvement in Colombia.

The best solution for the region is for politics to remain based on free and fair elections. Driving up the outside military presence does not seem to be a strategy designed to allow that to continue. Of course, regardless of partisan opinion, developments in Latin America are always carefully monitored and analysed for their relevance to the rest of the world. The world will as usual be watching with interest.

Energy Sector policing

2009-11-08T17:03:00.002Z

The Welsh Affairs Select Committee has said that a dedicated new armed response unit is needed to police what they call the "strategically vital" energy sector in Pembrokeshire.

The recently opened LNG terminals and pipeline at Milford Haven, along with the nearby refineries, serve the energy needs of the whole of the UK, rather than Wales.

Aside from the point about policing, what economic value would these facilities generate if Wales was an independent country?

English-language National Theatre delivered by Plaid

2009-11-05T21:41:00.003Z

Credit to the indefatigable Syniadau for drawing attention to today's official launch of the National Theatre Wales.

An English-language National Theatre for Wales is long overdue. It was first announced in 2007 as part of the One Wales deal, and will now run as a touring theatre to different venues across the country, like Scotland's National Theatre. Another feather in the cap for Wales' creative industries.

It took Plaid Cymru's insistence to get this into the One Wales deal- it was lifted from the Plaid election manifesto into the coalition programme- and it is especially important that this has been delivered by a Plaid Minister. Rhodri Glyn Thomas deserves a huge amount of credit for this, as it shows Plaid looking out for both of our languages.

Wales at Copenhagen

2009-11-05T17:23:00.004Z

It's news to us, but Wales apparently holds the chair of the 'Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development' with Jane Davidson able to be involved on the fringes of the Copenhagen Summit. A good article at Wales Home has alerted us to this, it's quite a coup for Wales to be leading this international alliance, though i'm sure even Jane Davidson doesn't want us to be a 'Regional Government' forever! It's a shame that this isn't common knowledge. The Welsh media has failed to report this pretty important body for Wales to be leading. Fair play to Wales Home for that contribution.

Yet it should be asked, why didn't the Labour Minister demand that Wales get a full say at the Summit like her Scottish counter-part did? I don't expect that Westminster would listen, but we would still have sent out a clear message and maybe given people a bit more confidence in the Welsh Government's ability to stand up for Wales.

So sadly we won't be heard at the heart of the summit, and indeed we are only at Copenhagen at all in our hard-fought devolved capacity. This is something of a response to whose who argue that devolution will 'cut Wales off from the rest of the world'.

It's a similar situation Labour's Finance Minister Andrew Davies did not sufficiently hold the UK Government to account over the cuts to the Welsh budget, when the Scottish Government was taking a much stronger line. At first Andrew Davies and Rhodri Morgan made some promising comments in the Chamber about fighting for Wales' interests, but when the massive real terms cuts to our funding were announced they tried to spin it as a 'good budget for Wales'. Even though Labour's Welsh Ministers are very agreeable with progressives in Wales on all the main policy issues, at the coal face of things they are more likely to defend Labour's interests than Wales' interest.

For what it's worth, the Copenhagen Summit will probably recommend a climate deal based on carbon trading and shifting the burden of guilt on to the rest of the world.

Still, you can't help think that we might get somewhere if Wales was entitled to more of a say than just being there as a 'Regional Government'.

Women in the Assembly

2009-11-04T22:50:00.004Z

Daran at Wales Home made an interesting charge against fellow blogger Guerrilla Welsh Fare earlier in his piece about likely cabinets post-Rhodri. Che had written that Huw Lewis' nominating AMs are not fit for purpose in taking on ministerial roles, as it has been argued that he has been backed by the most anonymous and incapable Assembly Members. Daran's interpretation is that GWF "takes a swipe at some women politicians from working class backgrounds who might be appointed to the Huw Cabinet". Ramblings enjoys reading both Wales Home and GWF, and the Welsh blogosphere is enriched by both of them.

GWF doesn't need defending, but it goes without saying that Assembly Members are subject to any kind of performance judgement we, the people, deem necessary. There is a time for being cosy with everyone and generating consensus, but it's clear that GWF's central charge remains correct- the effectiveness of Lynn Neagle, Irene James, Joyce Watson, and possibly Ann Jones is being questioned on the basis of merit, not on the basis of gender or class.

The fact that very little is known about them outside of the commentariat is an immediate indication of their lack of standing. Let's be honest with ourselves, these are ineffective, loyalist AMs simply there to prop up their chosen party's rule.

To see an example of working class women who are doing a great service to the people of Wales look no further than the likes of Lesley Griffiths for Labour, Leanne Wood for Plaid and even in the Cabinet you have Edwina Hart. You might not agree with everything those women do, but they get their names about through campaigning on issues and taking a stand, with all three of those examples not afraid to go against party line. As far as Ramblings is aware Jane Hutt also comes from a working class background, and though she has been criticised for her Ministerial performances in the past you can't take it away from her that she is well respected.

Daran insinuates in a comment on Wales Home that a sexist agenda against women politicians is evident from "a few quarters". He should explain where he has detected this agenda, being very switched on to new media he is probably referring to the blogs. Let's make it even more clear, although we have not been accused, that there is no gender basis on this blog. We have shown that there are excellent women AMs from working class backgrounds operating in Wales and this is something we celebrate. If an AM is not doing their job very well we will say so. It does not serve the cause of democracy in Wales to have elected Members falling asleep in the Chamber and mouldering away in unassailable safe seats.

The truth that Labour supporters might find difficult to swallow is that it is their party that has the highest quota of deadweight, be it male or female. This is not a good thing or something we are crowing about, it needs sorting out straight away.

Lewis confirms relocation

2009-11-03T16:38:00.005Z

Huw Lewis has launched a new campaign website to replace his old one. It's definitely worth a read. This blog has already pointed out that Huw's "Mythbusters" section is weak and actually ducks most of the charges against Huw, although despite being defensive it is a clever part of the site. Huw has toned down the "Mythbusters" section in his new lay-out, giving it less precedence.

Lewis has also used the new site to confirm that he no longer lives in Penarth, as has been widely alleged throughout the Welsh media. According to the new site, Huw now lives in Merthyr Tydfil, with no mention of a second home.

We aren't (for once) knocking Huw on this. It would be good to have a First Minister who lives outside of Cardiff and surrounds. A few people are saying that the leadership race has been a good thing for Welsh Labour internally.

But leadership race aside, the bigger picture is that after the next General Election, according to the Yougov poll, Merthyr is going to be the northernmost part of Wales with a Labour constituency representative.

Scottish Lib Dems bottle it

2009-11-02T22:28:00.004Z

The Scottish branch of the Liberal Democrats have bottled their idea of supporting their alleged "democratic" principles by announcing that they will in fact not vote alongside the SNP to allow the Scottish people a referendum to determine their future.

The Scottish Lib Dems are apparently divided on the issue with a number of principled MSPs wanting to take the position of backing a referendum and then campaigning for the 'no' vote. Although this blog disagrees with such a position, it is an entirely valid and just one, and is in keeping with the ideals that Lib Dems talk about.

However, as is so often seen with Liberal Democrats, the leadership are more intent on doing the bidding of their London-based masters. They will now vote to deny the Scottish people the right of self-determination. This is a right enshrined in international law. If the case for the Union is so strong then the Scottish people should be allowed to make their choice and put the question to bed for now.

Obviously, the case is not as strong as they would like people to think.

Disappointing Pro-Blair hype from the Western Mail

2009-11-02T10:00:00.002Z

One of the Western Mail's better columnists has a disappointing piece in his column in yesterday's Wales On Sunday, although it does now seem that Tony Blair's bid for the new Presidency role in Europe is dead in the water.

The pro-Blair hype from all quarters of the media has been lazy and weak. Ordinary people are being expected to somehow support Mr. Blair's ascendancy simply because he is "British", is a "high-profile figure" and has international clout, presumably from his support for costly illegal wars. This consensus is at odds with what ordinary people think of Blair, and it's about time this consensus was challenged.

Other potential candidates for the role are from Luxembourg and the Netherlands. On this week's Question Time the journalist John Sergeant derided Luxembourg's Prime Minister, stating the "obvious" British point of view, that surely a politician from a tiny country can't be taken seriously?

As Elfyn Llwyd said on the same programme, Blair's destination should not be a Presidential role, it should be the courts. He should be tried for war crimes.

Convention set to say 'Yes' as True Wales man gets the nod

2009-10-30T18:05:00.004Z

The rumour mill is now solidly predicting a "go for it" style message from the All Wales Convention when it gives its report on November 18th. The flaws of the Convention have been well documented, but it does seem that the Parry-Jones report will provide an accurate and comprehensive picture of how things stand. There has also been genuine public inolvement, though limited.

As John Dixon and others have noted, it won't really matter what noises the Labour leadership candidates make about the report, as all three of them are signed up to fulfil the One Wales pact and will not want to destabilise the Welsh Government. Even Huw Lewis might have a chance to bust the anti-devolutionist "myths" that he has acknowledged affecting his candidacy by championing a "Yes" campaign. Becoming the leader of Wales and leading the nation to direct law-making powers is a prospect that could see the currently unknown Merthyr backbencher become a statesman of considerable stature.

Ramblings takes issue with Gareth Hughes' charge that Carwyn Jones is lukewarm on a referendum- in Jones' latest article in the Agenda journal he clearly spells out the need not only for law-making powers but for an independent Welsh legal system. His credibility, and Plaid's support if he was First Minister, would disappear if he did a u-turn against the democratic will of the people of Wales.

Of course, the opinion of Labour's MPs in Wales is even more important. They will be looking to preserve their own careers and generous lifestyles by blocking Wales from making progress.

At the same time, the divisions within the Labour Party in Wales are very apparent. Leading "True Wales" figure Cllr David Rees, who probably doesn't even believe there should be an Assembly at all, is rumoured to have been selected as Labour candidate for the Labour-held seat Aberavon at the 2011 Assembly Election.

Update- the rumours have been confounded. It is in fact an Aberavon-based Dave Rees who has been selected, rather than the Risca-based "True Wales" nut.