Posts in the Archive

March 2010

• Rhodri Morgan uses the internet for the first time...
• An Own Goal for Labour
• A Sad Day for Devolution
• Lining the pockets of lawyers... Only in Wales?
• Comment of the Week
• All it takes is a picket fence to hold up a not-so-rosy Government of Wales
• 'Streamlining' reorganisation = reward for Assembly Government's Civil Servants
• Christmas arrives early with Gimmick Government

February 2010

• Taking a break

January 2010

• Is the former First Minister finally getting down to business?
• Those 'big' ideas we had, have run out! Over to you...
• Morgan's legacy leaves recurring hangovers

December 2009

• The Greatest Show on Earth*
• Blast from the Past: Wigley on Morgan
• Thought of the Moment... Carwynista
• And Then There Were Thirteen: Plaid AM defects to Conservatives
• Plaid-led Assembly Commission?
• No administrators were culled during Welsh NHS restructuring

November 2009

• Remembrance
• Foreign Office to cut 100 vital jobs
• Hutt hurts figures in Newport
• The Voice of Unemployed Reasoning
• EU [leaders] to decide top jobs next week
• Glasgow North East by-election
• The friend or foe debate
• A sign of things to come...[absent Welsh leader]

October 2009

• Another AM understandably retires at next election
• Government civil servants pile on the expenses
• Rhodri Morgan's legacy: The failure of a government department
• You couldn't make it up: it burgers belief
• (One) Question Time
• Hart attack: NHS 'spends £1bn of budget badly'
• WAG is bad for business
• Is Labour winning over the people of Blaenau Gwent?
• Three leg race to replace a three legged duck

September 2009

• Remembering Jane
• Sights you don't see in the Senedd (part 9)
• Quote of the Week

August 2009

• Bonus* Bonanza Balls up
• Appealing to the masses
• Beginning of the end to freebie Welsh policies?
• When Sugar doesn't taste so sweet
• Did anyone notice?
• "Targeted for telling the truth"
• Sights you don't see in the Senedd (part 8)
• Has the swine flu vaccination been adequately tested, or are we the guinea pigs?
• You can't teach an old dog new tricks
• Expenses revisited: An eye for an eye
• Silly season comes home to leadership battle that hasn't begun

July 2009

• Wales prepared for 'swine flu'?
• Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time
• To be put on a pedestal
• Will it be panel beating of a different kind?
• Holtham tells them what they want to hear...*
• Gun to the head blows "bits and pieces"
• Price: Over-patriotic or playing to the Plaid pack
• Another AM stepping down
• We've dined at this restaurant before
• The Government that likes to say YES...YES...YES*
• Come in card number XXX [take your pick], your time is up
• Finally, in Wales... thanks again to a Freedom of Information request
• Civil servants 'lie' to Rhodri Morgan in expenses row
• That time of year - Top 10 Political Blogs
• Edwina Hart giving an interview (tick). Edwina Hart for First Minister (?)
• Rhodri Morgan Appreciation Society revisited
• Stage Management: exit stage left (from London)
• Alliance vs The Welsh Assembly Government
• Go East for Val-halla

June 2009

• Enjoying what Europe has to offer
• Sex discrimination at the Home Office
• Second chance saloon for taking the Mick out of Opik
• Domestic violence affecting work
• Up in arms over selective refurbishment of office nests
• Slow Rejuvenation for Welsh Labour?
• Sights you don't see in the Senedd (part 7)
• Expulsion and Combustion
• Rhodri Morgan's urges hit American shore
• A Welshman's home is his castle, and a last chance for Dr Gibbons to prove some worth
• Bronzed down the bay
• Comment Nominations
• Waiting lists and bureaucracy
• All or Nothing
• Anti-Conservative Emails
• Lembit too cool for school?

May 2009

• John Smith MP, the Vale of Glamorgan, and the Gurkhas
• Taking democracy to the people

April 2009

• Hearing on pay equality in the Department for Transport
• Up a network ladder and down a slippery Facebook snake
• Blow the whistle and they don't come running
• In-tray Gossip

February 2009

• A possible return to blogging and keyword activity fun
• Welsh Assembly Government: Money for old rope
• Civil servants take 10 'freebies' each
• Unions achieving very little for staff in lower grades
• Bonuses not just for banks
• 8 things women want to know*
• Having Scope and doing little about it

December 2008

• Taking one step closer to a new Welsh Assembly Government
• Wales Yearbook 2008 Political Awards Results (Pippa Wagstaff too shocked to return)
• Welsh Political Awards and National Assembly bias
• Dead tree press can't see the wood for the trees
• Move the goalposts and score an own goal

November 2008

• Short blogging break
• Anniversary
• Lower-grade recruitment has started and finished
• Christopher Glamorganshire: The story so far (as seen on the blogs)
• President-elect Obama makes history and a rousing speech
• Guido up to his old tricks
• The forgotten by-election
• Sights you don't see in the Senedd
• Court frees Malaysian blogger
• Liberal Democrats are thankful for small mercies
• Double Standards
• Remembrance
• Government deserves to fall on data loss alone
• Promoting from within since devolution
• Burma blogger jailed for 20 years
• Sights you don't see in the Senedd
• The Prince of Wales at 60
• Final words ringing in deaf ears
• Early Christmas present for Minister's constituents
• Return of the Blair casts a shadow over Brown
• Complex office relationships
• Top 10 Reasons They Don't Like You at Work
• Balancing bookends
• Playing the Regeneration Game
• Facebook slip forces juror dismissal
• Let them [John Prescott] eat cake
• Vote blue, free Green!

October 2008

• Health Service: Judge, Jury and Executioner
• Define "I have led a government without any scandals"
• Is Coe harassed for being a Tory?
• Miss Wagstaff Presents has been forgiven?
• First Minister proved wrong within 72 hours
• Free drugs don't work
• Getting on or off your modern soapbox
• Sauregurkenzeit Award Winner (Thanks, I think?)
• Welsh Politico Blog Award Nominations
• Sights you don't see in the Senedd
• New Welsh Blogger: The Western Male
• Mike German takes a bow
• The wrong Jane is leaving government
• Self-appointed Lord Protector speaks out (yet again)
• Could blogging be blamed for another scalp?
• Plaid peers at the back of the queue
• New Welsh Blogger: Hywel Williams MP
• Welsh business not confident in Assembly Government
• Switzerland is known for chocolate, cheese, taxation, and banking
• No more fantastic imagery from the breath of the dragon
• Eluned Morgan MEP: Open parachute
• Slugger Political Awards Report: Changing not circling the political process
• Cardiff Political Blogging Debate misses the point
• The old chestnut of all-women shortlists
• What if...
• The debate started before the Cardiff Blogging Debate began
• Welsh Politico Award: Gold, Silver, and Bronze
• A picture paints a thousand words
• Contrarian blogging - in somebody else’s comments box (an example)
• Asking Miliband a question!!!
• Senedd Blogging Debate Updated Programme
• Cutting-edge Union
• Sink or swim for Civil Service in Llandudno
• Senedd Circular w/b 20 Oct 2008: Opening Old Wounds
• 7 Deadly Blogging Sins
• Breathing new life into a Labour MEP
• To Blog or Not To Blog Debate Videos
• Priority Talent Pool not just a thing of the past
• Who's Who in Wales
• Are the Senior Civil Service in Wales earning their salaries?
• The frustrations of an internet Troll
• Welsh Labour in Europe
• Moving on up with Welsh Labour
• The Benefits of Offline Blog Editors

September 2008

• The Editorial Policy of Leighton Andrews AM
• All at sea
• Total Politics Results: Top 100 Left of Centre Blogs
• Total Politics Results: Top 100 Right of Centre Blogs
• Welsh Blog Index Awards 2008: Results
• Total Politics Results: Top 100 UK Political Blogs
• Healthier fresh face for the Welsh Blogosphere
• There's only one Clive Betts (if signed-in)
• Not Nice
• Straw that broke the camel's back
• WAG and the Assembly Commission catching up with the times...eventually
• A Betsan by any other name would smell as sweet
• The 'Welsh' Civil Service Code v Christopher Glamorganshire's Blog
• Brown and Potter: The stuff of Children's Stories
• Whatever it takes is too little, too late
• A Paralympian Congratulations and Welcome Home
• Most recognised man on the planet
• National Assembly for Wales Survey Results
• Comment of the Week (Glamorganshire blog)
• A towering figure... of 5' 11''
• Whatever happened to Quid Pro Quo?
• For Queen, Country and Leanne Wood
• EU Regulation of Blogs: attempt to ban anonymous blogging
• Politics Show: Wales and the West?
• One day of the year when you can be seen as special
• What nasty attack?
• Welcome to Tomorrow's Wales
• Short-term volunteer required
• One leak, one drip!

August 2008

• Wiped from the Face (book) of the earth
• Gossip! Me? Never! Good news for a change
• Witanagemot Awards 2008
• Two weeks to go
• Live at 17:30 - Good Evening Wales: Welsh Blogging and Facebook
• The Radio Audio of blogging civil servants, and Miss Wagstaff on Facebook
• Not supported by the Assembly Government
• Welsh Politics needs an Open Culture in the Welsh Assembly Government
• Leighton jumping ship... again!
• DotCYM, an unsavoury opportunity for some
• Second Annual Welsh Blog Index Awards
• Fresh faces for the Blogosphere
• How can I possibly forget...The Riddler
• Changing, not for change's sake
• Tragedy in Antigua
• Wales' and Britain's New Olympian
• Taken Offline
• Iain Dale's Total Politics: Last Chance to Vote
• Wanted: IT Consultant for Non-IT Girl
• Foundation Modern Apprenticeship Scheme
• AM's Expenses: Take a pew
• Brothers and Sisters in Arms
• Silliness Unlimited
• Situations vacant
• A' level Education Groundhog Day
• Blog 'Critics' Awards 2008
• Comment of the Week
• Two years since Rhodri's ‘bonfire’ - Was it all worth it?
• Rhodri Morgan Appreciation Society
• Farewell Bob (1952-2008)
• Elis-Thomas: Time to accept constructive criticism
• Poor Policies on Poverty
• Health gimmick taken up in millions
• Leo Abse (1917-2008)
• GCSE - Another record year, perhaps?
• Quote of the Week: Party differences
• Another fresh face for the Welsh Blogosphere
• Some say A' level, others say Welsh Baccalaureate
• Reality Show leaves a bad taste in the mouth
• Total Politics Results: Media Blogs
• Total Politics Results: Green Blogs
• Total Politics Results: MP Blogs
• The Lord versus St Michael
• Independence versus Part of the Union
• Congratulations and Welcome Home
• Total Politics Results: Non Aligned Blogs
• Total Politics Results: Top 40 Welsh Blogs
• Total Politics Results: Top 50 LibDem Blogs
• Comment of the Week (Welsh Blogs)
• Spies like us
• Rhondda jokes

July 2008

• Civil Service v Politicians: That old question of pay
• Bloggers put Wales in political spotlight
• Would the "Welsh Way" be the right way?
• Rhodri Morgan's "Year of delivery"
• Freedom of Speech: Standing up for the right to blog
• Another Platform: Job transfer for civil servant
• Homegrown NHS law and badge recognition
• Christopher Glamorganshire: What a price to pay for freedom of speech
• Normal Mouth shuts up shop
• The Best Waste of £200k of Public Money: Meme
• Missing tax billions scandal
• Poverty and housing laws planned: Anyone can make a statement!
• How much does it cost to fill the 'skill shortage' hole? This much
• Christopher Glamorganshire: Questions to be Answered
• Senedd Circular: Back from a break
• Previous Welsh bloggers who lost their jobs: This is a new ballgame
• One Brown
• End is nigh for NHS Bureaucratic heaven
• Jane Hutt: Whatever she touches in government seems to turn to SH*T
• Heritage minister falls on own sword (or cigar)
• The Westminster Way v The Welsh Way
• Comment of the Week
• Total Politics: 2008-9 Guide to Political Blogging in the UK
• Rhodri Morgan: With or without honour
• Balancing the books on public finances in Wales
• Wales' biggest winners: Criticism of bonuses awarded to top civil servants in Wales
• Welsh 'laws': Quality, not quantity needed
• Reds cleared. Brown pocketed. Not many balls left on the table
• Key cutting-edge drama in the Assembly
• Nationalist Nonsense
• Tory plans for Welsh Office
• The forever failing campaign for equal opportunities in the Assembly Government

June 2008

• PCS Union: Ten years on
• Prezza
• Welsh Assembly Government Recruitment
• Assembly IT: Surf's up for staff
• Donate Wales
• Tories and Lib Dems' deal in Newport City
• The legacy of Rhodri Morgan
• The United Kingdom is in Europe?
• Small, clever country
• Potential conflict of interest on track in Assembly Government
• Diplomatic gesture to the Presiding Officer
• The knock-on effect of recruitment
• The rulings of Elis-Thomas, Part I
• The life of a lowly worker

May 2008

• What day is it?
• Senedd Circular: Local Election Special, 2008
• New Bloggers
• Between a Rock and a Hard Place: What next, Rhodri?
• Buying Welsh vs Free Trade: Exploring the tension
• Senedd Circular w/b 04 May 2008: Rounding Up the Blogs
• Accepting blame and wiping a bloody nose with dignity
• Air Force One... for one
• A turning point in the blogosphere...
• Independent Revolution, May 2008
• So near, but yet so far...Cardiff
• Priorities of the Welsh Assembly Government
• Ask the PM - Submit your questions now!!!
• A different Dunwoody: AM to PPC
• Empty properties
• Toffs v the WC: There is no working class!
• Year of the Independent
• Senedd Circular w/b 25 May 2008: Them dry bones
• Assembly Commission: What price... democracy?

April 2008

• Holiday time
• Church in Wales Governing Body rejects women bishops
• Senedd Circular: Does there happen to be an election in May?
• Miss Wagstaff on Recess (for a few days)
• A mild form of state control
• Zimbabwe: What crisis?
• One Wales is a dream and not a reality
• Quote of the week (April 7)
• Joined up Government, Part I
• The Big Fight: We're behind you Joe Calzaghe
• Raking over the bones of blame and Peter Hain's career
• Senedd Circular: Tea and Crumpet with the First Minister
• U-turn on NHS violence law
• Quote of the Week (21 April)
• Senedd Circular: Sex and the City – Access all areas
• No Dignity at Work: procedures were reasonable under the circumstance

March 2008

• Sights you don't see in the Senedd
• Blogging will be light
• Beacons footpath repairs top £3m
• Democracy improves by 8.3%
• Civil Servant blogging days may be numbered
• Alas Goldsmith and Jones
• Economic Development is lame
• One Wales Grand Slam
• The Blogging Experiment [no test tubes necessary]
• Comment of the Week
• How to report the credit crunch...
• Tony Blair: Love is... A Cruel Mistress
• Is Leighton Andrews Committed to the Coalition?
• Senedd Circular: A New Political Column for 'The Wardman Wire'
• Assembly civil servant resigns, but what about the inquiry?
• Senedd Circular: Easter Recess Catch-up

February 2008

• Top 20 Posts Meme (First 3 months of a blog)
• Botanic Gardens Bail out: A rose by any other name
• AM Bloggers: A Remedy
• How to make enemies and alienate people
• Bloggers have children too
• Blogpower: Defending the blogosphere
• Early trouble at Mill: What happened to 'love is power'?
• Gis a job, Rhod
• One Wales: Not worth the paper it's written on
• A 'Blogging Award' from the mother of the Valleys
• 'Clean, lean and green'...and away with the fairies?
• Labour Conference Talk: Welsh Labour in Llandudno
• Sights you don't see in the Senedd
• Hainless transition

January 2008

• Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Assembly Government
• Kirsty Williams AM: Out In The Cold?
• Health: Carving up the NHS
• Older People's Champion
• Technorati and the Desktop Meme
• 2008 Candidate for US President Quiz
• Part of the Union
• Pippa Wagstaff: Some people go too far
• Assembly Senior Civil Servant Accused
• Peter Hain free blog
• Assembly Government Spin Doctors Costing Taxpayers £438k
• Peter Hain: Cock-up doesn't fit the bill
• AMs Question Internal Inquiry by the Civil Service
• Feeling Hain's Pain: Stop pointing the finger at me!
• Assembly Government: A bad week in the life of those in charge
• Emperor's New Clothes: Tony to buy a new hat
• Predictions for 2008
• Dafydd Wigley Accepts - Shock, Horror!
• Will you be my Champion?
• Health: Fears over security of NHS patients’ data
• Fresh Review by Assembly's Top Civil Servant
• Guest Bloggers: Senedd Whip, Pier Pressure and Dotcommentator
• Education: When do we get down to business?
• Revamping the blog
• Education Director Optimistic on Results
• Rural Affairs: Farmers' £40m foot-and-mouth bill
• Lord Elis-Thomas goes to London
• Government encourages a Chav-like culture
• Tony Blair: The Official Portrait
• The product and the process
• Peter Hain: Pushed or a matter of honour?
• Paul Murphy: Steady as he goes...
• Sights you don't see in the Senedd
• Assembly Government appoints more women to board
• Ieuan Wyn Jones: Fill in the blanks
• Plaid Lords are leaping: The party giveth and the party taketh away
• Gordon Brown MP: Business as usual
• A Quick Quiz
• Peter Hain MP: Career Plan
• Jobs for the boy

December 2007

• Administrative Error
• Merthyr Tydfil Office: First Anniversary Propaganda
• Finance Committee Report
• Wales 20:20 A new commission by Karen Sinclair AM
• Administrative Error(s)
• Christine Gwyther: Success after rejection is always possible
• AM:PM Awards 2007 - The Winners
• Freedom of Information: Pitfalls of Open Government
• Gareth Jones AM: Lost in Translation
• Education: When do we start to point the finger?
• Former Assembly Members - Where are they now?
• Congratulations to Joe and Enzo Calzaghe
• Education: Post-14 Shake up or Talk up
• Homecoming Parade: from Basra to Cardiff
• The Blaenau Gwent Choo Choo
• Local Government Funding: Conwy in Call my Bluff
• Elin Jones AM - Political Chef
• Please, Brian Gibbons, I want some more
• Christmas Cheer from Mr Veneer

November 2007

• Introducing Miss Wagstaff
• Terms and Conditions
• Inequality at the Assembly
• Andrew Davies' first ‘One Wales’ budget, ‘A bigger bang for the Welsh buck’
• Alun Cairns AM is in the chair and means business
• Coalition creates new commitment - apparently
• Their Name Liveth for Evermore
• AM.PM...and the winner is
• Drowning in Clear Red-Green Water
• Members' Restaurant Launch
• Tinkering, Tailoring, but not Soldiering and Spying
• Blogroll list
• Tagged to take part in the 'Crazy Eight'
• Pay and pension can be a lottery
• Welsh Government Package for Disabled Children
• AM Bloggers up against the Standards Committee
• Why won't Plaid AMs/MPs be my friend?
• Gentle Reminder to Readers
• Paul Flynn MP checks out the NHS
• Fundamental flaws found in drawing up a new law
• Sir Emyr's around Wales rally ends in 2009
• Welsh Woman of the Year
• Enter the Dragon and one MP's call to update the Union Flag
• Llandudno will be the Cardiff of the North
• Disabled Children Matter
• AM Bloggers: Blogging - It's the future
• National Assembly needs to do its homework
• Trials and tribulations of Government