An Own Goal for Labour

The Ashcroft saga looks like it will end up as an own goal for Labour.

There is nothing illegal about the whole story. Not only that, but Lord Ashcroft wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth (sorry, socialists), as everyone knows he's a self-made man, and one of the success stories of the old Grammar School System.

What will come as a great shock for Labour luvvies is that he also pays tax on his financial and private affairs in the UK, making him a UK taxpayer.

In a nutshell, despite the media spin and fake outrage from Labour Ministers and supporters, it seems that the trustworthy UK public have worked out that it's a simple smear campaign, orchestrated (if somewhat slightly out of tune) by Brown's backstairs department.

This is going to end up an own goal for Labour as it draws attention to Labour's Non-Dom supporters.

Since 2001, Ashcroft has given £5,160,915 to the Tories. Mittal, Cohen and Paul all Non-Doms have given Labour £6,734,250. Paul funded at least one of Brown's election campaigns. Between 2001 -2008 Lord Paul sat and attended the House of Lords 1047 times and claimed £281,263 in expenses. Please tell me if I'm wrong, but Lord Paul has left the Government over Expense issues. Over the same period 2001 - 2008 Lord Ashcroft attended the House 285 times and claimed no expenses.

I'm saying nothing more, but make your own mind up about a so-called scandal, and where it lies.

Glasgow North East by-election

The seat was vacated by former Commons Speaker Michael Martin, who resigned amid the Westminster expenses row.

Voters will go to the polls today to elect one of 13 candidates as an MP.

The parties have set a goal to knock on thousands of doors in the constituency, amid predictions turnout on polling day could be crucial to the final result.

Labour, which has been the main political force in the Glasgow North East area for 74 years, is defending a majority of some 10,000 votes from the 2005 General Election.

The party said the poll would be a "referendum on the treatment of Glasgow" by the SNP.
It said the Scottish government's budget for the coming year would see a cut in the city's housing budget, a low increase in the area's health board and a failure to build new schools in Glasgow.

Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray, who was joined by candidate Willie Bain and actor Eddie Izzard on the campaign trail, said: "It is increasingly clear that the poll is now a referendum on the treatment of Glasgow. This issue has dominated the campaign because Glaswegians care passionately about the city."

Meanwhile, SNP candidate David Kerr insisted that, after 74 years of Labour taking the area for granted, it was time for change.

"Voters have seen the success of the last two years of SNP Government, and it's time to bring some of that success to Glasgow and to Westminster," said Mr Kerr.

He added: "Labour's campaign has been built on smears and scaremongering. They have nothing positive to say about their own record or ideas for this area."

The Liberal Democrats argue their policy of tax reforms is chiming with the voters who want action on the economy, while the Conservatives are hoping for a strong showing to boost their hopes of a UK election victory.

Tory candidate Ruth Davidson said: "The voters know that they face a stark choice - more of this tired and failing Labour government or hope and change from David Cameron's Conservatives. We want to get Glasgow working again."

Eileen Baxendale, the Liberal Democrat candidate, visited a car wash and valeting company in the constituency on the final day of polling.

Joined by Scottish party leader Tavish Scott, she said: "This is another example of a great, local, small business facing tough times as a direct result of Labour's recession - if people in Glasgow North East want to wash away years of neglect from the Labour party then they should vote for the Liberal Democrats."

Did anyone notice?

His Lordship has been attempting to deflect attention away from the negative press on withdrawing the Assembly's first landmark decision on the Welsh language, by regurgitating his annual attempt at dissing the Conservative party when it comes to devolution.

Did anyone notice his constitutional mistake? Answers on a postcard, or simply in the comments section.

Meanwhile a Labour-Plaid Cymru led national discussion - A last public question time session on more possible powers for the Welsh assembly will be held later at the National Eisteddfod in Bala, Gwynedd.

The meeting will be the final public event held by the All Wales Convention to gauge views on whether there is an appetite for more powers.

The session follows 23 events across Wales attended by almost 2,000 people since they began a year ago.

A report on the consultation process will be presented to ministers.

We can't wait for the 'report'.

Anti-Conservative Emails

Sustainable transport charity the Campaign for Better Transport is to strengthen its volunteer induction procedures after a temporary member of staff sent out an email to supporters asking for evidence that the Conservative Party was "hostile to good public transport".

Harry Phibbs, a Conservative councillor on Hammersmith & Fulham Council, said he had complained to the Charity Commission. He wrote on the ConservativeHome blog: "Here is a charity behaving in the most blatantly partisan manner."

The CBT's trustees had been asked to read the regulator's campaigning guidance and send "a clarification with regard to meaning" to the recipients of the email.

Stephen Joseph, Executive Director of CBT, said the email had not been seen by any of the charity's staff before it was sent and did not reflect the intentions of CBT. He said its campaigning followed commission guidelines and a clarification email had already been sent. "We have strengthened our volunteer-induction procedures and are confirming this to the commission," he added.

Vote blue, free Green!

Whatever your politics, this is rocky ground for civil liberties and even worse for the institution of Parliament.

Conservative immigration spokesman (and Welshman) Damian Green has been arrested and released on bail in connection with a series of leaks from the Home Office.

He was held on suspicion of "conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office," the Metropolitan Police said.

He was questioned by police but has not been charged and has been bailed until February. He denies any wrongdoing.

It is believed to be connected to the arrest of a man suspected of being a Home Office whistleblower.

Series of leaks

The BBC understands that a junior Home Office official was suspended from duty 10 days ago over a number of leaks and the matter was referred to police. He was arrested but not charged.
It follows a series of leaks, including:

• The November 2007 revelation that the home secretary knew the Security Industry Authority had granted licences to 5,000 illegal workers, but decided not to publicise it.
• The February 2008 news that an illegal immigrant had been employed as a cleaner in the House of Commons.
• A whips' list of potential Labour rebels in the vote on plans to increase the pre-charge terror detention limit to 42 days.
• A letter from the home secretary warning that a recession could lead to a rise in crime.
  

The BBC understands Tory leader David Cameron is angry about what has happened and stands by Mr Green.

Let them [John Prescott] eat cake

He may no longer hold high office, but that doesn't stop John Prescott shouting from the roof of the 'Go Fourth' battle bus that he's still proud to be Labour.

In the last 11 years, our borrowing has created more than 3 million jobs and allowed more people to get on the property ladder.

Today I'm delighted to have seen clear red water between Labour and the Tories. The choice is between a government that will do all it can to help the poor and the hard working through these difficult times and a Thatcherite Conservative Party that would do absolutely nothing.

I can't wait to tell that to each and every voter from now until when the General Election is called.

So tell our your friends and workmates how important today was. We're going to have to fight for that Fourth Term but by god, we've got something to fight for!

Take care,

JP

Carl Sargeant, Labour Chief Whip in the National Assembly also seems to be full of support for the Westminster package and a union man through and through by commenting

As Unison say - "This is a serious package for serious times. Brown and Darling have shown their strength, courage and determination to face the economic challenge head on. Their extensive experience has kept them in tune with what the country and business needs."

The rest of us are more than slightly concerned that this is the last action of a political party that is going for broke in an attempt to 'Go Fourth' and hold on to power.

In reality, if it has all the appearances of working, it will then work for Labour under the banner of tough-times ahead. Or as we read it - I'll lend you £20bn now but will expect it back with plenty of interest after the next election. If it doesn't work, the Conservatives will be left to pick up the pieces.

I guess Gordon's premiership has nothing to lose at this stage in his greatest gamble to date, or as the Conservatives have described it - the Prime Minister's promise to end boom and bust had proved "one of the greatest deceits ever told to the British public".

[Pippa Wagstaff is currently on a blogging break]

The frustrations of an internet Troll

It seems that I owe Sanddef an apology after jokingly not thanking him for the Miss Tory Staff comment. I have discovered the troll behind certain comments on my posts, which are not particularly damning and not even time consuming to delete. Any blogger will be able to tell you that it's very easy to delete comments when managing a blog.

The pointless 'Miss Tory Staff' comments that ended up - several times - in every post over the last few weeks seem to have stopped (more will come my way due to this post) which proves that the said blogger has realised his mistake. Strange to think that The Steamer has referred to me as "a well-known Labour insider". Each blogger has their own opinion of me, which leaves me none the wiser as to who I actually am. Someone will let me know one day.

Anyone who reads this blog will realise that I'm not in the habit of outing a person, but an anonymous blogger on the other hand is different due to the anonymity.

Perhaps it's because I always look for the best qualities in people that I often get disappointed so easily. In truth, I've always liked the nationalist blogger Che Grav-ara of the Guerrilla Welsh-Fare blog. For starters, we may have different political views, but I do enjoy reading his posts, and respect the fact that he includes links to a wide variety of political bloggers on his own blog (which is always a major plus in the blogosphere, and unusual of a Plaid blogger).

Any blogger is welcome to contribute in the comments section. I rarely delete comments, and if I do, I end up publishing them without the bad language and attribute them to their original owner.

Understandably, 'Che' finds it difficult that I tend to criticise the 'One Wales Government', after all, he is a "mainstream Plaidie; wants independence, has no time for New Labour, and backed the red-green when it came to it." Let's hope that he now practices what he preaches. Let's draw a line under this, 'Che', then hug, and make up.

What has been your best blogging experience?

It is always a good experience to have people comment on your blog and to start a active discussion. I have been lucky of late in that my post seem to have been getting a lot more attention. I am unsure if the content has become more thought provoking or just the hoards of bloggers that have nowhere else to go now Blamerbell has retired are choosing to spread their views around the blogs.

Do you have any prejudices that you are prepared to admit to?

What are they? Although my views are pretty fluid I do carry the stigma that all Tories are bad, all liberals say whatever you want them to just to get your vote and all Labourites are Tories. However I am happy to admit this is a generalist view and that there are a number of Tories (especially the Glyn Davies’ of this world) that contradicts that analysis and do the Conservatives a credit. Whilst they are decreasing there are still some dedicated old guard Labour members (i.e Hywel Francis) that go against the grain of Tony Blair’s spin era. The liberals……well you can’t win them all!

N.B. No bloggers were harmed during the making of this post. No slur caused by labelling someone a tory - on the person or the party. This blog has always been, and remains, non-aligned. Readers [particularly those of Labour and Plaid] should note that the blog description remains the same - as always - and can be read at the top of the page.

Welsh business not confident in Assembly Government

Since we grow deeper and deeper into despair as the weeks roll on, it seems that the Welsh Assembly Government has taken on board the ideas of a Welsh Conservative, Dylan Jones-Evans in his review of 2007, as highlighted by a renowned commentator on the Welsh economy.

Dylan Jones-Evans (29 December 2007)

Finally, we have a new Minister for Economic Development whose party has always supported the notion of creating a strong indigenous business base in Wales.

As discussed, the challenges he faces in turning round the Welsh economy are enormous but by encouraging enterprise and innovation, especially within our academic and private sectors, he could start delivering the type of change that has been sorely needed here in Wales.

In particular, I would urge him to consider calling an economic summit in early 2008 to bring new ideas to the table from the successful entrepreneurs and businesspeople we have here in Wales. At worst, it would be a wasted few hours for those attending but, at best, there could be the emergence of a whole new approach that finally turns around the fortunes of the Welsh economy.

The Welsh Assembly Government announced on the 8th October 2008 that it would be holding an All-Wales economic summit to discuss the present financial crisis and its impact on the Welsh economy. The meeting, which will take place next Thursday, will be chaired by First Minister Rhodri Morgan and attended by Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones with responsibility for the economy and transport plus Secretary of State for Wales Paul Murphy.

If there was ever proof that this Assembly Government is seen as reactive rather than proactive, then this is a prime example.

First Minister:

I have convened the economic summit meeting next Thursday because I want to hear at first hand from businesses on how the current financial crisis is having an impact on them. The aim is to discuss in detail the challenges that are facing us as a result of the credit crunch and to examine how we can respond further to its impact on Wales.

Deputy First Minister:

The Assembly Government is already taking wide-ranging action. In the draft budget announced on Wednesday, more than £290m has been allocated to fund the Flexible Support for Business programme – to provide businesses in Wales with more effective and straightforward access to Assembly Government backing. We have also recently introduced a £7m package of rate relief to help smaller businesses.
We will also be announcing a series of measures over the coming weeks to help individuals and companies deal with the current economic challenges.

But we want to make use of next week’s summit to bring together the widest possible range of views and experiences and to explore in detail every single possibility that we in Wales may be able to reinforce or add to measures to help our businesses overcome the challenges they are now facing.

I happen to agree with Valleys Mam when she sees Ieyan Wyn Jones as looking "all cliches and no substance" and "... it really made me realise what an uniformed, blinkered team we have at the top of WAG. They really have to step up their game."

I couldn't have summed it up better myself, and it makes a change from pointing out the incompetence of top officials.

Moving on to the heading of this post 'Welsh businesses not confident in Assembly Government' it appears that businesses in Wales are now accusing the government of stifling the business end of the economy. The fact that reserves [rainy-day money] is now being spent on areas already 'provided for' in the coalition agenda isn't going down well in the business community. The Assembly Government only has one pot. For reserves, read, money that has been held back over time from worthy areas that are devolved in case the proverbial hits the fan.

When it comes to the economy and business, it's clear from the following that confidence in the Assembly Government is not full to the brim in Wales.

European funding is being taken by the Welsh Assembly Government and kept for itself.

The West Wales Business Initiative is calling for a full investigation into the Assembly’s use of European aid money.

On Tuesday, its representatives will present a petition backed by more than 40 companies asking the Assembly’s petitions committee to instigate an inquiry.

The Assembly Government’s Welsh European Funding Office website shows that of £127.7m allocated under the Convergence programme so far, £102.1m has gone directly to the Assembly itself.

A further £17.4m has gone to local authorities while the voluntary sector has had £5.5m. Only two private sector projects with grants totalling £2.8m have been approved – one by a subsidiary of Corus to redevelop the former steelworks site at Ebbw Vale, and another to create a centre of excellence for Welsh food in the Conwy Valley.

In a letter to businesses seeking support for the petition, West Wales Business Initiative secretary Wyn Price said little, if any of the new funds would reach “the sharp, business end of the economy.”

He said,“An example of what is happening is in Carmarthenshire, where the local authority is in control of Convergence Fund monies allocated to economic development and, in particular, the funds for the building of new factories,which are in short supply.

“The question is why the local authority has the power to determine private sector applications, while at the same time submitting its own plans to develop a new large industrial estate that it will then rent out to the private sector at so-called market rates.

“They have already limited the access to these funds by designating just one area of Carmarthenshire as a strategic priority, Cross Hands, where co-incidentally, it intends to develop the new estate.

"This effectively means that no direct benefit is derived by productive businesses. It does benefit the council which will derive future income to supplement its rapidly inflated size."

Since writing this post on the weekend, Dylan Jones-Evans has returned to blogging - if only for a day - to post his Western Mail article "The Assembly and saving the Welsh economy" in response to the current economic crisis.

Running the risk of being accused of being a Tory blogger by Nationalist bloggers - yet again [laugh] - at least Professor Dylan Jones-Evans is thinking outside the box, which is more than can be said of our Assembly Government.

Is Coe harassed for being a Tory?

Understandable uproar in Wales, and particularly the Welsh Blogosphere about the alleged comments of Seb Coe in London's press, covered by Ian James Johnson, Miserable Old Fart, Amlwch to Magor, Ordovicius, Up the Valleys and Peter Black.

As Damon Lord sums it up:

It is also covered by Nick Webb, who justifiably asks did Coe really say it?

There is further mystery to the story, however. Did the paper actually print the story? I don't doubt Ian James Johnson's comment that he saw it on page 5 in the paper, so here's a link to a jpg of thelondonpaper's story (Hat tip to Dougthedug's
comment on Welshfootball.net).

The article however has now curiously disappeared from thelondonpaper's website, and also from the Metro's site, but I've managed to track down an online cached version of the Metro story. So, in probable breach of some copyright law, I'm reproducing the text of the Metro article below, so people can see what exactly was printed and reported before the cached version disappears as well.

As we aren't sure that Seb Coe actually made this comment, isn't most of this fuss in Wales down to the fact that he is a Tory?

What nasty attack?

The Conservatives were accused of being “the nasty party” after marking Rhodri Morgan’s 69th birthday tomorrow by publishing a highly personal attack on every aspect of his leadership – right down to his dress sense and hairstyle [join the queue].

What nasty attack? Rhodri Morgan and his government have never liked criticism, not even constructive criticism, but who does? The Welsh Conservatives are simply describing something as it really is!

The 39-page document, ‘Rhodri Morgan: Leadership Without Purpose’ rakes through the Labour leader’s career, laying into everything including: his stewardship of the economy; unique dress sense and hairstyle; erratic and unusual behaviour; claims he had “undermined the role of First Minister and embarrassed the National Assembly and Wales"; and the fact he once posed for a picture with TV presenter Timmy Mallett.

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[which was posted HERE orginally and republished above]

A spokeswoman for the First Minister said:

What a shocking state the Welsh Conservatives must be in if they have to stoop to this level to gain attention during what should be the party’s showcase week.

Resorting to petty personal attack, rather than putting forward their policy ideas, seems to suggest that, true to form, they have very little to offer the people of Wales other than negative campaigning.

We recently delivered the most momentous change to early years education in Wales since devolution, with the Foundation Phase, a radical new vision to ensure our youngsters get the very best start to learning. But where were the Tories during this process? Offering support to help make it work?

No, carping from the sidelines as usual.

Talking about the speculation Mr Morgan may stay on after next year, the spokeswoman said:

Perhaps Nick and his colleagues ought to spend less time gossiping in the Bay and more time talking to the people they represent. Perhaps then they might come
up with some serious proposals for Wales’ future. Theresa May, when she was Chairwoman of the Conservative Party, said that they needed to shed their image
as the ‘nasty party’. Nick Bourne has undermined all the good work by his party leader David Cameron since then, by proving that they are, after all, still the nasty party.

The document draws attention to many of Mr Morgan’s gaffes, describing him as the “Clown Prince of Wales”.

It says: “In the last eight years the behaviour and comments of Rhodri Morgan have become increasingly erratic and unusual. “They have added fuel to the fire of critics, both within and outside the Labour Party, who believe he is not up to the job of First Minister”.

It includes his failure to attend the D-Day celebrations in 2004 in favour of a golf tournament and the two occasions he has turned up late to meet the Queen.

It also attacks him for his “unique dress sense and hairstyle” – drawing attention to an occasion four years ago when he failed to take the right shoes to the Labour Conference in Brighton – and for posing for a picture alongside “zany TV entertainer Timmy Mallett”.

And the document single-handedly blames Mr Morgan for Wales’ economic woes in the past nine years, saying the wealth gap between Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom had widened under his leadership and manufacturing jobs were being lost at a faster rate than under the last Conservative government.

Mr Bourne said:

Rhodri Morgan’s time in office has underlined the need for a long-term vision not short-term opportunism to lead us through uncertain times.

His leadership without purpose has held Wales back, and left our country ill-prepared for future challenges.

We have had no big ideas, no vision, and no delivery. What we have had is giveaways, gimmicks and gaffes.

Long after he’s gone people will still be paying the price for his freebie culture. Instead of preparing for the future Rhodri Morgan has looked to the past.

Instead of long-term investment he has squandered record levels of funding for short-term gain. Instead of admitting his own short-comings he has repeatedly blamed others.

What we have seen is a leader storing up trouble for the future, for his successors, and for Wales.

As he celebrates his 69th birthday tomorrow it’s time for Rhodri Morgan to tell us about his plans for the future.

This endless speculation about his future is damaging and destabilising. For the sake of our country he needs to recognise that before it’s too late.

One surprising response was the Welsh Labour spokesperson admitting that David Cameron had turned things around for the Conservative party by making mention of all the good work that they've done.

Total Politics Results: MP Blogs

Four Welsh MP blogs have made it into Iain Dale's Top 20 MP Blogs list for his Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2008-9.

6. Adam Price MP
10. David Jones MP
11. Paul Flynn MP
15. Elfyn Llwyd MP

Elfyn Llwyd blogging!?!

The full list and entire series can be followed by clicking on the following link to Iain Dale's Diary.

AM's Expenses: Take a pew

Eight AMs claimed the maximum possible amount of £12,500 for second home expenses in the last financial year.

The detailed expenses breakdown were released to BBC Wales in response to a Freedom of Information request. Atleast one AM will be able to 'take a seat' while she curses the day such requests have to be answered.

Nationalist Nonsense

What's the point of Nationalists arguing cases such as THIS and THIS.

All David Cameron's saying is that there's an interim report on his desk (well-publicised in the media). Let's wait for an official announcement.

Let's all be grown-up about this.

Wales' biggest winners: Criticism of bonuses awarded to top civil servants in Wales

Joining in with the criticism of Senior Civil Servant bonuses on this blog, the Welsh Conservatives have criticised bonuses awarded to the Assembly's top civil servants.

Miss Wagstaff Presents:

• Civil Service v Politicians: That old question of pay 2nd July 2008
• Education Director Optimistic on Results 18th January 2008
• Education: When do we get down to business? 16th January 2008
• Assembly Government Spin Doctors Costing Taxpayers £438k 11th January 2008
• Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Assembly Government 1st January 2008
• Pay and pension can be a lottery 19th November 2007
  

The BBC have reported (also covered in the Western Mail) that bonuses to top civil servants in Wales have risen 154% in the past five years, according to figures obtained by the Conservatives. They show senior assembly government staff received more than £686,000 last year, compared to £270,000 in 2003/04.

The Tories said it showed a "money for nothing culture" in Cardiff Bay.

But the assembly government said it did not decide bonuses. The First Division Association union said only staff who achieve their objectives received them. Meanwhile, the assembly government defended spending more than £48,000 on office plants, saying they helped to "lower employee turnover rates" and improve air quality.

Conservatives called for a review of senior staff salaries after their written questions revealed details of the highest earners among administration senior staff.

The figures show overall assembly government staffing costs for 2006/7 were just over £224m, with staffing levels of 6,230 at 31 January this year.

The latest official statistics show that in 2005-06 the average (mean) pre-tax income in Wales was just £20,000.

The Conservatives calculate that out of a total Assembly Government staff of 6,230, 28 earn in excess of £100,000, 23 between £80,000 and £90,000, 51 between £70,000 and £80,000, 171 between £60,000 and £70,000, and 499 between £50,000 and £60,000.

The bonuses were defended by the FDA, the union for senior civil servants.

Opposition leader Nick Bourne said:

I find it incredible that the Labour-Plaid government has the brass neck to award staff such whopping bonuses when it has been failing on so many fronts over the last 12 months. Year after year Rhodri Morgan has spent more taxpayers' money on spin, presentation, advisers, and bureaucracy. This is money which should go on health, education and local government, not to fund an administration whose policies suffocate choice, enterprise and innovation.

Alun Cairns AM said:

Families across Wales who are struggling to make ends meet with stagnant earnings and rising living costs will be appalled by these figures. Massive amounts of public money are being used to swell the bank accounts of senior civil servants at a time when the Government is urging pay restraint.

A Welsh Assembly Government spokersperson said:

These very senior staff form part of the senior civil service and their pay and bonus policies are determined by the Treasury and Cabinet Office, not by the assembly government or other devolved administrations. To attract and retain high calibre staff we need to reflect market values. But recent senior staff review board findings show that senior civil service salaries have fallen behind those in other areas of the public sector, notably NHS and local government.

Bonus payments are not permanent and are non-pensionable. In effect, base pay is being held down in favour of one-off payments that do not affect future levels of pay or pension. *

Paul Neilson, First Division Association's national officer for Wales, said:

Far from being a 'money for nothing culture', those who do not achieve their objectives will not get any pay increases.

* That doesn't cause too much discomfort when they earn in excess of £50,000 per annum, without bonuses.

Tories and Lib Dems' deal in Newport City

The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats say they have struck a deal to take control of Newport council.

The council has been in limbo since May's local elections after no party won an outright majority, although Labour remains the biggest party overall.

Talks over leadership were further delayed by two by-elections.

Labour had held power in the city for nearly 30 years.

Senedd Circular w/b 25 May 2008: Them dry bones

This article appears in The Wardman Wire:

Putting up with the stench of a dead Labour carcass, can never be described as 'robust and fun', unlike the party politics of an unhealthy party political election battle. But to lose one Labour seat in 12 months may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose two looks like damn right carelessness [thanks Oscar]. Let this Labour candidate put it all down to experience, and perhaps there will be a third time lucky - if there's a constituency that's willing to pull a well-worn application form, out from a rather tired looking red bin.

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This week, Miss Wagstaff has been climbing down from a high octane family weekend, only to pick at the odd bits of Welsh news before raking over the bones of the Labour electoral turmoil of weeks past... it seems that it will take a while before we get over recent events – London fell; Councils fell; then it was the turn of Crewe and Nantwich. It's no wonder that God invented recess!

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Attacking opponents from the last century

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In times of trouble – yes, right now - Rhodri Morgan, Wales' Labour First Minister, specialises in rummaging around in the Conservative party's distant past in order to score points, just as you or I might place our rubber-gloved-hands into the toilet pan in order to give it a good scrub with a well-used scouring pad and disinfectant, that have been sitting in the cupboard for more time than we care to remember, and now used as a desperate measure. He doesn't just do it for the press either, and can be heard to chant his anti-Conservative [Tory, of course] mantra in the Senedd too. What's always been interesting here is that Morgan rarely comments on current Conservative policy and where they are as a party at the moment. It's also not what he says that's at fault, but what he doesn't say. This makes him shockingly old-school, and predictably average.

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Put aside UK Labour politics for a moment as the problem has also spread to Welsh Labour politics. Welsh Labour needs a new leader and has found itself having to wait for a countdown not dissimilar to that of a Eurovision Song Contest, whereby the end result may be expected to a certain degree, but not wanted as a whole. The majority of us will have to wait for BBC Wales' own 'Terry Wogan' to remind us that the contest has started, and for us to take our seats.

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Glad confident mourning

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On the other side of the fence, David Cameron may be a UK party leader, but his pronouncement last week that Labour's recent performance showed the "death of New Labour" left many wondering whether to start mourning; its tremor was certainly felt in Wales, particularly in the North and South, where current Labour MPs must be putting mathematical skills to good use, before wondering whether to hit the panic button.

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Morgan's advice in the meantime is for Labour to hold firm, and not to split and turn in on itself. Miss Wagstaff suggests holding onto your hats, as a storm is brewing. Others may suggest holding on to something else, but I fear that would be too late to prevent excruciating pain.

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And finally…

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As a final thought, the words of Douglas Adams spring to mind... Don't panic!

Toffs v the WC: There is no working class!

Following on from my earlier post on the Crewe and Nantwich By-election....

After a despicable and very dirty campaign by Labour, I'm so glad they didn't win. Stick to policies, not personalities and gutter snipe politics, and please let this issue of class die a death at election time.

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The Conservatives have achieved their first by-election gain in 26 years, taking Crewe and Nantwich from Labour.

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Tory candidate Edward Timpson won 7,860 more votes than his Labour rival, overturning a 7,000 Labour majority at the general election - a 17.6% swing.

Independent Revolution, May 2008

Independents rule Welsh councils. More than a third of all Welsh local authorities will be led by independent councillors over the next four years.

Two weeks after polling day, coalition deals have been struck across Wales after only four councils were left with clear majorities for one party.

The Lib Dems will have the largest influence among the political parties, joining 13 administrations. Labour will keep a position in running nine councils, Plaid Cymru will feature in eight and the Tories in seven.

WHO RUNS YOUR COUNCIL?

• Blaenau Gwent: Independent led, with People's Voice and Liberal Democrats
• Bridgend: Labour led, with three Ind
• Caerphilly: Plaid Cymru led minority, with two Ind
• Cardiff: Lib Dem led, with Plaid
• Carmarthen: Ind led, with Lab and Lib Dem
• Ceredigion: Ind led, with Lib Dem and Lab
• Conwy: Plaid led, with Ind, Lab and Libl Dem
• Denbighshire: Ind led, with Plaid, Lab, Lib Dem and Cons - TBC
• Flintshire: Ind led, with Lib Dem and Conservatives
• Gwynedd: Plaid led board - details TBC
• Merthyr: Ind led board, with Lab and Libl Dem
• Monmouth: Cons
• Neath Port Talbot: Lab
• Newport: TBC - possibly Cons led with Lib Dems
• Pembrokeshire: Ind
• Powys: Ind
• Rhondda Cynon Taf: Lab
• Swansea: Lib Dem led with Ind and Plaid
• Torfaen: NOC - details TBC
• Vale of Glamorgan: Cons
• Wrexham: Lib Dem led board, with Ind, Cons and Plaid
• Ynys Mon: Ind led, with Plaid, Lib Dem and Cons

How to make enemies and alienate people

As every member, staffer, cleaner and indeed visitor at the Senedd knows, there is little love lost between Mid & West Wales Regional Labour AMs Alun Davies and Joyce Watson. Which is odd when you consider that as both were elected due to serving Labour AMs getting the boot last May, both would be counting their lucky stars to be there at all.

While Ms Watson has pretty much taken that line, rumour has it that the ever-friendly Alun has not. You see, it is understandable that Alun Davies wants to be king-pin in this region, and views Watson very much as an annoying source of competition. It's alleged that with the tacit approval of a senior figure within Welsh Labour, he's been setting about undermining Watson at every available opportunity. This simmering hatred has, however, bubbled just beneath the surface for the past eight months, with Watson taking Davies' petty jibes with something approaching good grace.

Indeed, even while Davies appeared to be groomed as one of Rhodri's trusted 'briefers' to the media, Watson got on with - shock, horror - trying to represent the people who [sort of] elected her.

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Now, here's where it gets really nasty. You see, a few days ago the BBC broke a story that the Welsh Conservatives had made an official complaint about Joyce Watson's misuse of Assembly postage and resources to mail Labour Party members. The thrust of the coverage was pretty clear in its agenda - she should have known better, the rules are clear, and that her regional AM colleague Alun Davies may suffer in the fall out through no fault of his own etc etc.

But dig a little deeper, and alarm bells start ringing. For example, how would the Welsh Conservatives have ever found out that Watson had been mailing Party members? Of course, from a Labour source in her patch with an axe to grind [allegedly]. But which Labour source drinks with 'leaky' Conservatives on a regular basis in the pubs and bars of Cardiff Bay? And received almost universal sympathy in all the coverage of the story?

Now let me think...

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(Hat tip to the anonymous)

Health: Fears over security of NHS patients’ data

Jonathan Morgan AM, Assembly Shadow Health Minister has raised concerns following the Western Mail's disclosure last week that a Wales Audit Office specialist was sent on “gardening leave” the day before he was due to start an investigation into allegations that an NHS body called Health Solutions Wales had passed patient identifiable information to research company Dr Foster in possible breach of the Data Protection Act.

Contradictory statements about whether this confidential information relating to Welsh patients has been passed to a private company have led to a demand that Health Minister Edwina Hart should make an urgent statement.

Andrew Hurley, a £54,000-a-year IT specialist, has not returned to work since being sent on leave in October 2005.

Hugh Morgan, Director of Health Solutions Wales, told the Western Mail his body had not released patient identifiable information to Dr Foster. But he added, “Dr Foster does receive the equivalent information from England.”

Mr Morgan’s statement raised questions about whether patient identifiable information had been passed to Dr Foster relating to Welsh residents being treated in English hospitals.

Dr Foster issued a statement confirming that patient identifiable information had been passed to one of its departments by the Assembly Government. The statement said:

Imperial College has a PIAG (Patient Information Advisory Group) clearance to receive data from the Secondary User Service for certain research purposes. Under this clearance, Imperial College is permitted to disclose pseudonymised data to Dr Foster Intelligence.

Dr Foster does not hold patient-identifiable data – it holds pseudonymised patient-level data from English hospital providers which includes some patients resident in Wales.

The Imperial College Unit at Dr Foster were commissioned by the Welsh Assembly to do some research work and obtained PIAG permission to hold patient-identifiable Welsh data for this purpose. Dr Foster Intelligence does not have access to this data.

But the Assembly Government maintained Dr Foster had not been passed information which could enable patients to be identified. A spokesman said:

Neither Health Solution Wales nor Welsh NHS Trusts have released patient identifiable information to Dr Foster. In relation to Welsh patients with English providers, we have no evidence that this information has been released and therefore the Minister cannot comment, but we have initiated an investigation.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health in London said:

There are strict procedures in place to ensure no patient identifiable data is passed from the NHS to Dr Foster. Dr Foster only has access to anonymised data.

Shadow Health Minister Jonathan Morgan, the Conservative AM for Cardiff North, said:

I will be calling for the Minister, Edwina Hart, to make an urgent statement on this matter. After a number of recent scandals, there is widespread public concern about the failure to protect confidential private information relating to individuals. The contradictory statements made on this issue means there must be a clear statement of the actual position.

Patients in Wales have a right to expect that their personal information will be protected by the NHS. If there is any question of passing identifiable information on to a third party, there must be a clear reason for it and people should have an opportunity either to give their consent for disclosure or to withhold permission.

At present the NHS is seeking to introduce a new computer system under which it would be possible for many health professionals to gain access to personal information relating to patients. Most people would probably support that so long as there are robust information-sharing protocols in place to ensure personal details are not disclosed inappropriately. But public confidence has been badly shaken by this series of disclosures. I don’t think there is now an appetite for the Government’s proposed national ID card.

Mr Morgan said he was also concerned the Wales Audit Office had apparently abandoned the inquiry that Mr Hurley had been about to undertake:

Although the WAO says its employee’s suspension was unrelated to the inquiry he was about to start, I find the circumstances highly suspicious. I would have expected the inquiry to be undertaken by another member of the WAO staff.