John Smith MP, the Vale of Glamorgan, and the Gurkhas

Apparently this week's Glamorgan Gem local newspaper has published a photograph of John Smith MP and a few other MPs with Gurkhas. Nice photograph, and not the one above!

However, checking Hansard and the Public Whip you will discover that he voted WITH the Government, against the Gurkha settlement rights [Although this extremely rare Government defeat in an opposition day motion is not binding (has no legal force) a Government minister made a statement later in the day to bring "forward the date for the determination of the outstanding applications to the end of May].

Such double standards seems to be fitting for these troublesome times. We need to remind ourselves of this at election time.

The Brigade of Gurkhas

The history of the service of the Brigade of Gurkhas to the British Crown goes back as far as 1815. Since then the Brigade has conducted itself with distinction during numerous conflicts worldwide. Prior to 1997 the Brigade's focus was in the Far East but following the handover of Hong Kong it moved to the UK which is now its base. The Brigade still maintains a battalion in Brunei and plays a full part in the British Army's operational deployments worldwide - currently, in particular, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans.

The majority of MPs voted in favour of the motion:
This House

• regrets the Government's recent statement outlining the eligibility criteria for Gurkhas to reside in the United Kingdom;


• recognises the contribution the Gurkhas have made to the safety and freedom of the United Kingdom for the past 200 years;


• notes that more Gurkhas have laid down their lives for the United Kingdom than are estimated to want to live here;


• believes that Gurkhas who retired before 1997 should be treated fairly and in the same way as those who have retired since;


• is concerned that the Government's new guidelines will permit only a small minority of Gurkhas and their families to settle whilst preventing the vast majority;


• further believes that people who are prepared to fight and die for the United Kingdom should be entitled to live in the country; and


• calls upon the Government to withdraw its new guidelines immediately and bring forward revised proposals that extend an equal right of residence to all Gurkhas.

In case you were wondering if any other Welsh MPs votes against the Gurkha settlement rights motion, simply read...

Nick Ainger (Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire) Labour
Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) Labour (minister)

Chris Bryant (Rhondda) Labour (minister)
Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) Labour

Wayne David (Caerphilly) Labour (minister)
Hywel Francis (Aberavon) Labour

Nia Griffith (Llanelli) Labour (PPS)
Peter Hain (Neath) Labour (former minister)

David Hanson (Delyn) Labour (minister)

Dai Havard (Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney) Labour

Kim Howells (Pontypridd) Labour (former minister)

Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) Labour (minister)

Ian Lucas (Wrexham) Labour (minister)

Alun Michael (Cardiff South & Penarth) Labour (former minister)

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) Labour

Jessica Morden (Newport East) Labour (PPS)

Paul Murphy (Torfaen) Labour (minister)

Albert Owen (Ynys Môn) Labour

Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd) Labour

Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside) Labour (minister)

Don Touhig (Islwyn) labour

Alan Williams (Swansea West) Labour

Martin Caton (Gower) Labour - absent
Paul Flynn (Newport West) Labour - absent

Siân James (Swansea East) Labour (PPS) absent

Martyn Jones (Clwyd South) Labour - absent

Betty Williams (Conwy) Labour - absent

Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire) Liberal Democrats - absent

Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire) Liberal Democrats (front bench) absent

Senedd Circular w/b 20 Oct 2008: Opening Old Wounds

This article appears in The Wardman Wire:

This week, Miss Wagstaff has been excited and down in the dumps at the same time, if that’s at all possible. On the one hand, she’s unwell, and on the other she has the opportunity to write a Senedd Circular post that is long overdue.

We can safely put leadership elections on the back burner for a while, the Welsh Labour leadership election has been talked to death [well, nearly!] and the Welsh Liberal Democrat election is a two-horse race that is slowly gaining momentum – and both always seem to be topical on Welsh blogs.

Plenty has happened since my last post to this column, though it appears that nothing changes when it comes to a rift between the Commons and Assembly, MPs versus AM’s in what one leading Welsh blogger has described as “…the Welsh Affairs Select Committee’s response to the housing LCO suggests that it is, illegally, attempting to make itself the Assembly's upper house.” and by another as a constitutional stand-off between the National Assembly and the Welsh Affairs Committee of the House of Commons.

You can always predict when disaster and controversy will strike at the heart of the Assembly, and it’s usually when Lord Elis-Thomas opens his bi-lingual mouth. Bi-lingual in terms of speaking - both as an Assembly Member and Presiding Officer - and occasionally mixing the two when convenient. Not this week. Though it has opened old wounds with a former adversary.

This week’s main tension comes from the to-ing and fro-ing of work by the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee and our own National Assembly. This has resulted in resident villain [usually], or as others call him, Presiding Officer Lord Elis-Thomas [Dafydd Elis-Thomas to his friends, I’m told] in having to stick his nose in where it needs to be for a change - in policing the remit of LCO's. His lordship has taken time out to write to two-time Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy, expressing concerns and accusing the Welsh Affairs Select Committee of MPs of "anti-devolution sentiment". Elis-Thomas is no stranger to offering his opinion on a whole range of ‘constitutional’ matters.

It may sound odd, but even other Assembly members have queued up behind the Presiding Officer, not just fellow Plaid members this time, and called for him to be heard as the voice of reason.

This fistfight between Commons and Assembly has happened before and was largely seen as a straight fight, with the Assembly’s proposal dumped from a great height without sound – simply no remit to turn this into law. This time it’s different.

The present bout over the Welsh Assembly Government's request for powers to legislate over the so-called right-to-buy-scheme. In short, the Welsh Ministers are asking for more than they originally sought and are being ticked off by the Welsh Affairs Select Committee. The committee’s jabbing response is one of - you do have the right to do both, but you only discussed suspension of the right-to-buy when you talked to us about it originally. Because of this we believe you should stay within the original draft.

On this occasion the common sense approach is needed as much agreed by those that generally take a step back from those MPs that it directly affects. MPs do seem to be interfering too deeply into matters concerning the remit of the WASC when it comes to dealing with LCOs. Their role as committee members is to work within the remit of the Government of Wales Act when it comes to guiding LCOs through their part of the process. Anything more, and they run the risk of being accused of standing in the way of devolution, the Assembly, sometimes their party colleagues, and what their future has in store for them.

Too much interference may stave off extinction of some of their numbers, and will – in some cases – harm their legacy as Welsh politicians. Common sense and mutual trust is a must, but sometimes hard to come by, even within members of the same party.

And finally…

A welcome back to blogging to my old friend, Matt Wardman after his short trip to Wales, where he took in the ‘To blog or not to blog’ debate. I hope it was all worthwhile after the blogging banter that arose beforehand, and that the best side won.

Since writing this article it seems that blogging won the day, although I turn my face as there was much stick for anonymous bloggers – “Not accountable? True enough. Not reliable sources? Fair enough. Malicious? Some can be. Unchristian? Now hang on ... “

I’m still not convinced that I should ‘out’ myself!

One day of the year when you can be seen as special

It just happens to be a long solitary walk to retirement and a handsome pension waiting for little achievement, and an even lower public and political respectability from your peers and critics, for one person.

It also happens to be the the First Minister's 69th birthday tomorrow. This blog wishes him a happy birthday. Put your feet up on the office sofa with your glass of orange juice to read your papers. Delegate more to others for just one day. Sit back and enjoy the one day of the year that you can be seen as special.

Are you sitting comfortably? Good.

I have some bad news!

Not only has someone summed up your ministerial career in a way that makes you Wales' very own Gordon Brown:

Damn right: Rhodri Morgan is the biggest disappointment to happen to Welsh Labour devolutionary hopes since Ron Davies had his moment of madness. At least
Ron hasn't given up on politics, which Rhodri clearly has. They sat on him over the Richard Commission, they undermined his ministership at every turn. He was so demoralised and knackered he had to sit back and watch while London Labour
launched its viciously anti-Welsh hacks, and now he's waiting to retire so he can watch some golf. What a waste of undoubted talent. The man has become invisible and irrelevant.

The party had high hopes of him, those of us at least who thought the future was devolution. He's like Gordon Brown: spent all his time wanting the job, then when he gets it is a big soggy squib.

Don't be downhearted, it gets better. In August I reported that Rhodri's Facebook group "Rhodri Morgan Appreciation Society" had remained static in membership. September 2007, 20 members; August 2008, 20 members. There's good news in that the membership has risen to 22 in time for his birthday.

I hear you say there must be a BUT.

The bad news is that Welsh Labour's Communications Officer Martyn Williams, and Luke Ellis 'number two' of Minister Carwyn Jones have both left the society.

Life can sometimes be difficult. Congratulations must be given to Assembly Members, Alun Davies and Joyce Watson for remaining members.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow, First Minister.

The Lord versus St Michael

There's too much free time during recess for letter writing, or so it seems. I haven't blogged on the latest saga involving former short-term Secretary of State for Wales and short-term First Secretary [FM], Alun Michael MP hitting back at the Assembly's rather long-term Presiding Officer. The gist of it is below. From an insider's point of view you're better off reading Peter Black AM's summary and the views of Glyn Davies, and pick out the best bits in order to gain a better understanding of what's really going on.

In The Western Mail on Monday, the National Assembly’s Presiding Officer, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, accused a group of MPs of misrepresenting the facts about the making of new Welsh laws. Today, Alun Michael MP hits back at the claims, labelling them an attempt to undermine devolution.

Elis-Thomas: Time to accept constructive criticism

Catching up with the news, the Western Mail reports on the National Assembly’s Presiding Officer has fired a broadside at an all-party group of MPs, accusing them of misrepresenting the facts about the making of new Welsh laws.

In a letter to Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy, Lord Elis-Thomas, pictured, says claims by members of the Welsh Affairs Committee that they are in danger of being “swamped” by legislative proposals coming from the Assembly are groundless.

Since last year, the Assembly has been able to seek permission from Westminster to make its own laws in defined areas. Permission is granted in the form of Legislative Competence Orders (LCOs) passed by both Houses of Parliament. Prior to approval, draft LCOs are considered by the Welsh Affairs Committee.

In a recent memorandum to Mr Murphy from the committee, MPs suggested the number of LCOs coming through from the Assembly could prove unmanageable. Now Lord Elis-Thomas has intervened to “set the record straight”.

In a letter sent to Mr Murphy on Friday, he refers to the allegation made by the committee that the system is being swamped, stating: “This conclusion, which has attracted much publicity, is, in my opinion, clearly contrary to the evidence actually set out in the memorandum itself.

“The Assembly acquired its new legislative powers on May 25 2007. During the first 12 months following that date, seven proposed LCOs were laid before the Assembly, five of which were proposed by the Assembly Government and two by backbenchers. As the memorandum itself makes clear, only four of these proposed Orders have as yet been referred to the Welsh Affairs Committee.

Or was it entirely constructive, and part pantomime politics?