Comment of the Week

In response to Labour's dossier lifting the lid on Conservative MPs, Welsh Conservative Assembly leader Nick Bourne hits back at the claims:

We’ll take no lessons from Labour on devolution when one of their own candidates describes AMs as part-timers, their First Minister dithers over calling for a referendum, and their Welsh Secretary is lukewarm on holding a referendum in the
first place...

For the last 11 years Conservatives have worked hard to make devolution deliver for the people of Wales. Our criticisms in that time have not been about devolution or the Assembly. They’ve been about the failures of the Assembly Government, led by Labour and now supported by Plaid Cymru.

We have always said it should be the people of Wales who decide on the Assembly’s future powers.

Meanwhile Labour’s First Minister Carwyn Jones couldn’t make his mind up over calling for a referendum, spent the best part of a fortnight before requesting it despite a unanimous Assembly resolution, and Peter Hain left the request on his desk to gather dust because he doesn’t really believe in it. If Labour spent as much time on reducing national debt, cutting unemployment, and fixing our broken economy as they’ve done on compiling this dossier, then perhaps the country wouldn’t be in such a mess.

Mr Bourne’s comment about a Labour candidate describing AMs as part-timers refers to a statement made by Swansea West Labour candidate Geraint Davies in a leaflet distributed in the constituency where he hopes to succeed Alan Williams as MP.

Those 'big' ideas we had, have run out! Over to you...

Is it time for a change of coalition in time to embrace a new UK government?

Taking one step closer to a new Welsh Assembly Government

Turnout in the ballot for the new Welsh Liberal Democrat leader is expected to exceed that of the party's other recent leadership elections across the UK.

Not only will the National Assembly have its first female leader but can we expect a new Welsh Assembly Government to be formed in the not too distant future? After all, new leaders come equipped with new bridges and opportunities.

The ballot to replace Mike German closes at noon and the winner will be announced later today.

A total of 62% of ballots had already been returned to the party's Wales HQ in Cardiff Bay by Friday afternoon.

The two candidates are Cardiff Central AM Jenny Randerson and Kirsty Williams, Brecon and Radnorshire AM.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats 'outgoing leader' Mr German welcomed the arrival of a female successor, saying: “I believe it will be very significant and should bring a change of character to the Assembly.”

Rhodri Morgan's "Year of delivery"

Rhodri Morgan has hailed a “year of delivery” following Welsh Labour’s special conference decision to back the One Wales coalition deal with Plaid Cymru.

True to form, the First Minister has blurted out his usual defence:

“Tough choices had to be made this time last year: the choice between forming a coalition with Plaid Cymru or letting the Tories into government in Wales, with the resultant lurch in policy direction that would have been very adverse to the interests of Labour supporters all over Wales.

“I believe we made the right tough choices, voting with our heads not with our hearts, a decision based on the desire to honour Labour’s election pledges and deliver for the people of Wales to the maximum degree possible.”

Mr Morgan’s list of the items delivered during the past 12 months included:

1. New hospitals on their way in Porthmadog, Rhondda, Cynon Valley, Merthyr, Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney Valley; two opened this year in Pembroke Dock and Holywell;
   26 weeks from referral to treatment –– on course to delivering that target by the end of 2009;
2. more than £1bn investment in NHS infrastructure over the next three years;
   free car-parking in NHS hospitals;
3. £91m extra funding for social care, helping people live independent lives in their own homes;
4. a new £92m single investment fund for business;
5. £8m extra funding for Flying Start childcare;
6. £7.5m funding for Airbus R&D into composite wing technology;
7. £150m JEREMIE investment fund for small and medium-size firms being negotiated with the European Union;
8. new Foundation Phase, a pioneering roll-out across Wales of “learn through play”, backed by £30m of investment this year;
9. new law introduced giving 14 to 19-year-olds more choice in their studies;
10. £6.6m new funding for Appetite for Life improvements in school meals;
11. more than £7.5m for early years and schools in Wales to improve basic skill levels;
12. new social partnership agreed between trade unions and government to build world-class public services built on co-operation;
13. council tax rises kept to an average of 3.8%;
14. £9m extra funding for Community Safety Partnerships to help tackle crime;
15. free entry for pensioners and children to Assembly-funded heritage sites;
16. new law to modernise right-to-buy to increase social housing in rural Wales;
17. new £25m fund for the next phase of Communities First;
18. new law placing a duty on public authorities to tackle child poverty;
19. Wales becomes the world’s first Fairtrade nation;
20. a tree planted for every new baby born in Wales;
21. re-opening the Ebbw Valley rail line;
22. free rail travel for pensioners extended;
23. new law introduced to make school buses safer.

I'm positive that each and every individual in Wales has their own individual opinion on what has been a success, and their own distinguishing differences between the measurement of success and failure. Here's what the opposition parties say...

Welsh Conservative Assembly leader Nick Bourne said:

The Labour-Plaid government has been big on targets and low on achievements. It’s hard to judge performance when so little has been achieved and so many policies aren’t scheduled to be implemented for two or more years.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Mike German claimed:

...the coalition’s greatest success had been preserving the status quo: Keeping Labour hands on the levers of power in Wales; keeping the powers of the Assembly so limited and stifling initiatives to such a degree that no AM applied to make a law when given the opportunity to do so in the June ballot.

Senedd Circular w/b 04 May 2008: Rounding Up the Blogs

Matt Wardman has been rounding up the daffodils earlier and Miss Wagstaff had a night on the tiles (allegedly). So this is “Matt” standing in this week with a special “link blog” Senedd Circular roundup.

Blog Snippets

• Coalition deals sideline Labour
• Lib Dem German to quit in autumn
• New language rule for 57 bodies: thou shalt deliver thy services in Welsh. (I have not yet found out whether the Wardman Wire is on list, but another 57 makes 493 ).

Rounding up the Daffodils/cennin Pedr

There’s a big kerfuffle happening about cennin Pedr and why they should be purchased in Wales and not imported from foreign climes such as Cornwall (for example). Read these links to understand:

• Cennin Pedr in Rural Wales .
• Cennin Pedr and the Professor .
• My take on Cennin Pedr and Free Trade.

I wonder whether someone is going to appeal for a European Union Protected Designation for daffodils as Welsh. If so - prepare to get sued by the Ghost of Wordsworth .

In would be more fun if the Welsh did “red-faced nationalists on the point of exploding”. Unfortunately they don’t; that’s just Tunbridge Wells, a certain brand of Conservative, and Alex.

The Gossip

And - on the gossip front - I only just tumbled to the fact that Blamerbell the Underpants is a sibling of young Ms Jenkins from the Senedd .

Ordovicius tells me that “everyone (apart from me, apparently - pity the English) knows about “the Jenkins Clan from the Rhondda”. [I thought they were from Merthyr]

Isaac Asimov had a race from outer space called the Jenkinsites who survived by carrying a cylinder of cyanide gas to breathe - as that was the atmosphere on their home planet. I’m sure there’s no connection - the Asimov Jenkinsites also had six legs and a carapace.

Wrapping Up

Ok - enough. Miss Wagstaff is back next week.

Kirsty Williams AM: Out In The Cold?

Hat tip to the 'anonymous' who's been giving me the impression that someone has it in for Kirsty.