Christopher Glamorganshire: The story so far (as seen on the blogs)

At the risk of upsetting the sensitive souls of those in power [in Wales anyway], I wondered what I could do next. Shall I talk further about a well-known catchphrase of all talk and little action or failures that have left Wales firms 'poor cousins'? The economy in crisis seems to be a popular topic for the foreseeable future and has been for some time. Not today.

Standing up for a blogging brother. This will do for now.
Following the original article in the Western Mail by Martin Shipton, 9th July 2008 there clearly has a lot more mileage to go in the story of Christopher Glamorganshire, with the latest from the real journalists being that of the BBC, Political Editor Betsan Powys on 18th September 2008.

Betsan clearly has the insider's view looking at the detail of information provided, but we still haven't heard from the Glamorganshire blogger despite numerous attempts from the media to get a message to him. Both Matt Wardman and I have been contacted over the last few months to see if we can get a message across [mediums in the blogging world], and I can only imagine that other bloggers have also been contacted this way. We both are unsure as to whether we are doing this former blogger the power of good by documenting his case in this way, nevertheless we support you, and the best of luck to you Christopher.

My sources in the Welsh power-hub tell me that the tribunal is set for January 2009 [not confirmed].

The following is a list of blog posts to date that cover discussion [those I can find] on the "neutral" blogger that was sacked by the Welsh Assembly Government:

1. One law for the rich, 9th July 2008 Socialist Party Wales
2. All the best Chris 9th July 2008, Miserable Old Fart
3. Chris Glamorgan goes to Court 9th July 2008 Valleys Mam
4. Welsh blogger's legal action 9th July 2008, Ordovicius
5. Freedom of Speech: Standing up for the right to blog 9th July 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
6. Christopher Glamorganshire: What a price to pay for freedom of speech 10th July 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
7. LITERATURE - Christopher Glamorgan's Blogging 10th July 2008 Damon Lord Linguanaut
8. Dooced Welsh Civil Service Blogger goes to Industrial Tribunal Today 11th July 2008 Wardman Wire
9. In Wales they sack bloggers, don't they? 11th July 2008, The Daily Telegraph Blogs
10. Welsh Civil Service Blogger goes to Industrial Tribunal Today 11th July 2008, Matt Wardman for Our Kingdom
11. Inside the Assembly jail 11th July 2008, Cambria Politico
12. On Exams, Christopher Glamorganshire and blogging 11th July 2008 On a Hill
13. Tidbits electronig 12th July 2008 Dancing the Polka with Miss El Cajon
14. What a price to pay 12th July 2008 Facebook Causes
15. Risk worth taking? 12 July 2008, David Jones MP
16. Welsh Assemby sacks blogger 12th July 2008 Paul Canning
17. Christopher Glamorganshire sacking story cut and paste Promotional Tour 13th July 2008 Wardman Wire
18. Civil servant who blogged about government dumped 13th July 2008, So Said the Organization
19. Seen Elsewhere (7) 13th July 2008, Question That
20. Blogpower Roundup - Ian_QT 13th July 2008, Blogpower
21. Should you be fired for blogging? 13th July 2008, Dube
22. Setback for public sector bloggers 13th July 2008 Dave Press
23. Christopher Glamorganshire: Questions to be Answered, 15th July 2008, Wardman Wire
24. Christopher Glamorganshire: Questions to be Answered 16th July 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
25. Previous Welsh bloggers who lost their jobs: This is a new ballgame 16th July 2008 Wardman Wire
26. Welsh Blogger Fired from Assembly, Sues 16 July 2008 Committee to Protect Bloggers
27. Previous Welsh bloggers who lost their jobs: This is a new ballgame 17th July 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
28. Matt Wardman on Radio Wales Good Evening Wales 4th August 2008, Wardman Wire
29. Blogging civil servants 4th August 2008, Peter Black AM
30. Matt Wardman on Radio Wales Good Evening Wales about Civil Service Bloggers 4th August 2008, Wardman Wire
31. POLITICS - Did I kill Pippa Wagstaff [includes section on CG]? 11th August 2008, Damon Lord
32. WAG and the Assembly Commission catching up with the times...eventually 12th September 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
33. Free speech, huge bills? 18th September 2008, Betsan Powys (BBC)
34. A Betsan by any other name would smell as sweet 18th September 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
35. Betsan has the inside on this one, 18th September 2008, Valleys Mam
36. Still Supporting Chris! 19th September 2008, Miserable Old Fart
37. The 'Welsh' Civil Service Code v Christopher Glamorganshire's Blog, 19th September 2008, Miss Wagstaff Presents
38. Christopher Glamorganshire Back in the News: Welsh Civil Service Code, 19th Sept 2008, Wardman Wire
39. This was Christopher Glamorgans profile - good sense of fun, 19th September 2008, Valleys Mam

Matt Wardman's entire series can be read HERE, and my own can be viewed HERE.

If you have seen any articles that are not on the list, please let us know in the comments section.

Could blogging be blamed for another scalp?

I've always enjoyed reading the blog of former Labour Minister Tom Harris MP. Mainly because not many ministers blog, and certainly not in a down to earth way. Tom speculates that his recent sacking, with partial dignity, may have been partly down to the fact that he blogs - something of a common occurrence here in Wales.

Tom has decided to post the original version of an article he wrote for the Mail on Sunday 'From ministerial Mondeo to back bench' on his blog. It was commissioned from him on the subject of how a minister is sacked and adjusts to his new life, a subject he feels eminently qualified to discuss after the recent Cabinet reshuffle. Usually we have to wait for a book or newspaper gossip to read about such events and it makes interesting reading.

Here's two small sections:

“This is the Number 10 switchboard. Can you hold for the prime minister?”

Well, there aren’t too many answers to that question, are there? I walked downstairs clutching the phone to my ear and went into the kitchen where my wife, Carolyn, was making a late dinner. “Number 10,” I mouthed silently at her, and she immediately switched off the blaring radio.

The received wisdom about reshuffles is that if you’re going to get sacked, it’s done early on in the day. Having heard nothing so far, I was pretty confident that a call this late in the day would surely mean promotion. I knew I had done a good job at transport. I also knew that Minister of State in that department was now vacant. Or immigration, perhaps? Europe even?

And with such optimistic expectancy did I take the call from the prime minister. The conversation was brief: he was bringing new people into the government, and that meant some people would have to leave. My heart sank, my stomach lurched and I made a “thumbs-down” gesture to Carolyn, who mouthed a word that ladies shouldn’t really utter.

The most common theory put forward for my sacking is, inevitably, my blog, And another thing... In some ways, this is comforting: no-one really believes I was bad at my job so there must be another reason, and the blog is a prime suspect, especially after the whole “Why is everyone so bloody miserable?” debacle.

I started it in March this year because I was concerned that right wing blogs like Iain Dale’s and Guido Fawkes’s were dominating the market, and I felt there weren’t enough Labour voices out there.

Few people were even aware I wrote a blog until “Why is everyone so bloody miserable” [146 comments] was published in June. What started off as a fairly thoughtful piece about the difficulty of achieving happiness in a material world was twisted by a Conservative front bencher to try to make it look like I was belittling people’s real difficulties in coping with the current economic climate. I found myself having to defend and explain what I had written to hostile journalists and broadcasters. It was a sharp reminder that, even if the public aren’t reading what ministers blog, journalists and political opponents are.

Even then, I received no criticism from No. 10; my boss at the time, Ruth Kelly, simply asked how I was coping with the media scrum.

And you can go over my posts with a fine tooth comb and you won’t find anything there that’s off-message or critical of government policy.

Comment of the Week

I've chosen the following as 'Comment(s) of the Week' as some match my own opinion, and others confirm rumours that I've heard regarding Christopher Glamorganshire.

Thank you from Matt Wardman and myself, to all that shed some light on the Glamorganshire blog and took the time out to share their views. If you hear more, please comment further on THIS post.

(1) Not sure whether the union supported the case from the very beginning. If they did, and pulled out after a year, that's irresponsible in my book. Sounds like they led him up the garden path only to slam the door in his face at the end.

(2) As an avid reader of Welsh blogs I saw Glamorganshire's blog as being light hearted and a refreshing break from the serious point scoring political blogs. Glyn Davies sums it up well in the original media article as providing "neutral running commentary".

(3) Two things that we must keep in mind - it has not been established that he broke the rules, and it has not been established that he broke his contract.

(4) I met Chris through working in a Business Unit. He was hard working, clever, and was always eager to help. The Assembly has lost a good worker and all because of an amusing blog that did no real harm, other than to himself in the long run.

No one knew he had a blog. The majority wouldn't care. I spoke to a mate who works in human resources the other day to see what all the fuss was about and the response was "He was just unlucky to have done it at that time".

I've been told that the former Permanent Secretary, Sir Jon Shortridge who was mentioned in name by the BBC, wanted all "IT abusers" punished. This was partly down to a leak from Cabinet Secretariat at the time, and the Perm couldn't tolerate such events happening on his shift.

The 'Welsh' Civil Service Code v Christopher Glamorganshire's Blog

Matt Wardman has been busy on my behalf digging up a version of the 'Welsh' Civil Service Code. We've both been wondering whether any of you readers of Welsh blogs remember the Christopher Glamorganshire blog. It was also known as 'Who Would be a Leader in a Wicked, Wicked World', or simply as 'Glamorganshire' according to some Welsh blogrolls.

If you have long memories (we are talking about over a year ago), how do you think it fares with the 'Welsh Code'? Did his blog break the rules? Was it near the mark? Is the Welsh Assembly Government's reaction an attempt to suppress blogging among its staff by nipping it in the bud?

In short, according to the BBC's source, was the blog "contrary to the civil service code" and "has the potential to cause an embarrassment to the Welsh Assembly Government", therefore breaking the code?

Over to you in the comments section.

The Welsh Civil Service Code

Civil Service Values
1. The Civil Service is an integral and key part of the government of the United Kingdom(1). It supports the Government of the day in developing and implementing its policies, and in delivering public services. Civil servants are accountable to Ministers(2). They are in turn accountable to the National Assembly for Wales(3).

2. As a civil servant, you are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out your role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. In this Code:

* ‘integrity’ is putting the obligations of public service above your own personal interests;
* ‘honesty’ is being truthful and open;
* ‘objectivity’ is basing your advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the evidence; and
* ‘impartiality’ is acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving equally well Governments of different political persuasions.'

3. These core values support good government and ensure the achievement of the highest possible standards in all that the Civil Service does. This in turn helps the Civil Service to gain and retain the respect of Ministers, the National Assembly for Wales, the public and its customers.

4. This Code(4) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of you and all other civil servants. These are based on the core values.

Standards of behaviour

Integrity
5. You must: fulfil your duties and obligations responsibly; always act in a way that is professional(5) and that deserves and retains the confidence of all those with whom you have dealings; make sure public money and other resources are used properly and efficiently; deal with the public and their affairs fairly, efficiently, promptly, effectively and sensitively, to the best of your ability; handle information as openly as possible within the legal framework; and comply with the law and uphold the administration of justice.

6. You must not: misuse your official position, for example by using information acquired in the course of your official duties to further your private interests or those of others; accept gifts or hospitality or receive other benefits from anyone which might reasonably be seen to compromise your personal judgement or integrity; or disclose official information without authority. This duty continues to apply after you leave the Civil Service.

Honesty
7. You must: set out the facts and relevant issues truthfully, and correct any errors as soon as possible; and use resources only for the authorised public purposes for which they are provided.

8. You must not: deceive or knowingly mislead Ministers, the National Assembly for Wales or others; or be influenced by improper pressures from others or the prospect of personal gain.

Objectivity
9. You must: provide information and advice, including advice to Ministers, on the basis of the evidence, and accurately present the options and facts; take decisions on the merits of the case; and take due account of expert and professional advice.

10. You must not: ignore inconvenient facts or relevant considerations when providing advice or making decisions; or frustrate the implementation of policies once decisions are taken by declining to take, or abstaining from, action which flows from those decisions.

Impartiality
11. You must: carry out your responsibilities in a way that is fair, just and equitable and reflects the Civil Service commitment to equality and diversity.

12. You must not: act in a way that unjustifiably favours or discriminates against particular individuals or interests.

Political Impartiality
13. You must: serve the Government, whatever its political persuasion, to the best of your ability in a way which maintains political impartiality and is in line with the requirements of this Code, no matter what your own political beliefs are; act in a way which deserves and retains the confidence of Ministers, while at the same time ensuring that you will be able to establish the same relationship with those whom you may be required to serve in some future Government; and comply with any restrictions that have been laid down on your political activities.

14. You must not: act in a way that is determined by party political considerations, or use official resources for party political purposes; or allow your personal political views to determine any advice you give or your actions.

Rights and responsibilities
15. The Welsh Assembly Government has a duty to make you aware of this Code and its values. If you believe that you are being required to act in a way which conflicts with this Code, the Welsh Assembly Government will consider your concern, and make sure that you are not penalised for raising it.

16. If you have a concern, you should start by talking to your line manager or someone else in your line management chain. If for any reason you would find this difficult, you should raise the matter with the Welsh Assembly Government’s nominated officers who have been appointed to advise staff on the Code.

17 If you become aware of actions by others which you believe conflict with this Code you should report this to your line manager or someone else in your line management chain; alternatively you may wish to seek advice from your nominated officers. You should report evidence of criminal or unlawful activity to the police or other appropriate authorities.

18. If you have raised a matter covered in paragraphs 15 to 17, in accordance with the relevant procedures(6), and do not receive what you consider to be a reasonable response, you may report the matter to the Civil Service Commissioners7. The Commissioners will also consider taking a complaint direct. Their address is: 3rd Floor, 35 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BQ. Tel: 020 7276 2613 email: ocsc@civilservicecommissioners.gov.uk If the matter cannot be resolved using the procedures set out above, and you feel you cannot carry out the instructions you have been given, you will have to resign from the Civil Service.

19. This Code is part of the contractual relationship between you and your employer. It sets out the high standards of behaviour expected of you which follow from your position in public and national life as a civil servant. You can take pride in living up to these values. June 2007


Notes
1. This Code applies to all Home civil servants who are members of staff of the Welsh Assembly Government. Other Home civil servants have their own versions of the Code. Similar Codes apply to the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Diplomatic Service.

2. In this version of the Code, "Ministers" means the First Minister for Wales, the Welsh Ministers, Deputy Welsh Ministers and the Counsel General to the Welsh Assembly Government. The Counsel General to the Welsh Assembly Government may not be an Assembly Member but he/she may participate in Assembly proceedings.

3. Constitutionally, civil servants are servants of the Crown. The Crown’s executive powers are exercised by the UK Government on nondevolved matters and by the First Minister for Wales, the Welsh Ministers, Deputy Welsh Ministers, or the Counsel General to the Welsh Assembly Government on devolved matters in relation to Wales.

4. The respective responsibilities placed on the First Minister for Wales, the Welsh Ministers, Deputy Welsh Ministers and the Counsel General to the Welsh Assembly Government and special advisers in relation to the Civil Service are set out in their Codes of Conduct: www.wales.gov.uk/civilservicecode

5. This includes taking account of ethical standards governing particular professions.

6. The whistleblowing legislation (the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998) may also apply in some circumstances. The Directory of Civil Service Guidance gives more information: www.wales.gov.uk/civilservicecode

7. The Civil Service Commissioners’ Appeals leaflet gives more information: www.civilservicecommissioners.gov.uk. This Code does not cover HR management issues.

N.B.

• The Welsh Assembly Government had no policy on blogging at the time and is now in the process of getting one published.

Previous Welsh bloggers who lost their jobs: This is a new ballgame

The following is a round-up by Matt Wardman on former Welsh bloggers and the state of the Welsh blogosphere:

There’s been a bit of discussion about Welsh Political Bloggers who have previously been sacked, mentioning “four cases”, following on from the current conversation about the author of the Christopher Glamorganshire blog.

I’m only aware of three, and among those the Christopher Glamorganshire case is unique because it involves a Civil Servant employed under the Civil Service code.

The other two are Dave Collins and Marcus Warner, both researchers employed by Labour AMs. I think that both of these basically came down to the positions of the individuals being untenable due to their boss’s political embarrassment.

But we are now in a position where there is an opportunity for the “rules” for Civil Service Bloggers in Wales to be made clear, following on from recent clarification spearheaded by Tom Watson.

I think it is quite important to get that clarification in place in case more of the political blogosphere in Wales dissolves into the ether.

Dave Collins
Dave Collins worked for Vale of Clwyd AM Ann Jones as a researcher. He commented on the Keir Hardly blog (Source: Wales Online):

Personally I share the view of [early 19th Century politician] Daniel O’Connell when he said, ‘I can witness without a sigh the decline of the Irish language’. One aspect that doesn’t seem to have received much attention so far is consideration of the language as a class issue. To what extent does the requirement to teach Welsh at all key stages and the right to access all public service provision through the medium of Welsh assist or hinder the prospects of the under-privileged?

He added, “Moreover it isn’t an issue simply in terms of all the time that is wasted on it. Compulsory Welsh may also diminish young pupils’ enthusiasm for education and their confidence in their ability to master a subject. You cannot successfully teach a practically brain-dead language to young children whose families don’t want it revived or couldn’t care less about it.”

The thing that did for him was “practically brain-dead language”. Taking my life in my hands and commenting on a Welsh political question from England, if there is one hornets nest in Welsh Politics not to douse in petrol and set on fire, this is probably it.

Ann Jones maintained a stony silence in public ("Ms Jones refused to comment"), the bilingual lobby went into overdrive, Dave Collins resigned soon after, and the other parties made hay while the sun was shining.

This was September 2007.

Marcus Warner
Marcus Warner worked for Islwyn AM Irene James - also as a researcher. He lost his job in late September/early October 2007. He ran the Renewed Labour blog where Dave Collins posted the offending “brain-dead” comment.

Marcus also ran the Clear Red Water and Keir Hardly blogs (Ordovicius: “serial blog vanisher”), and more recently the Southpaw Grammar blog (with - in my opinion - a far better style). Marcus has now retired from that as well to run a record label cum PR company. I like the background image from the website (right); curved windows are cool.

I have some sympathy with Marcus - while, shall we say, not supporting the use of quite so many blogs in quite such a period - since I think losing a position because of an action of a third party feels harsh. On the other hand, we all know that in politics decisions get made and jobs get lost because of external events - as many can testify even at Cabinet level.

Hat-tip to Miserable Old Fart for most of the information for the above potted account.

The Glamorganshire case is a different ballgame

Now to get on to the point of the post, and my reason for reprising history (and my apologies if I have embarrassed anyone).

Christopher Glamorgan was the only one who was employed by the Welsh Assembly government who was therefore subject to the Civil Service Code (Wales Version).
Essentially, Dave Collins and Marcus Warner lost their jobs because they became an embarrassment their political bosses. And that - to me - is simply an occupational hazard for research and administration staff working for politicians.

But we are now in a position where there is an opportunity for the “rules” for Civil Service Bloggers in Wales to be made clear, following on from recent clarification spearheaded by Tom Watson .

In the last week we have also lost Normal Mouth, who has closed down partly due to speculation about his identity despite not being a Civil Servant:

I am not in breach of any guidelines relating to my employment, nor am I a civil servant. In fact, I have explicitly gained written approval from my employer to maintain both this blog and my Golwg column. What is clear, however, is that it is no longer tenable for me to continue to blog without the question of who I am persistently clouding what I say. I take that to be very largely my fault, for not setting out arguments that people feel are worth responding to on their merits alone.

I think that most people would agree that blogs have made a strong contribution to political debate in Wales - expecially due to the smaller overall population making the maintenance of a national media more “challenging” (!). The old Video Blogging slogan from 2005 “We Are The Media” has meaning here.

Wrapping Up
Even if we have 3 not 4 people who have left their jobs after blogging, among a Welsh Political Blogging community (illustrated on the right) of perhaps not much more than 100, that is one hell of an attrition rate for a short period. The Total Politics directory currently has 60 blogs listed under “Wales”, but that is quite a significant underestimate in my view.

Perhaps ironically, if I was looking for a person to employ as a researcher, I would deliberately consider people who had left jobs as a result of blogging for exactly that reason - it is probably an excellent way of developing good political antennae. If it had happened three or more times I might change that judgement, however.

For the same reason Contractors who have been thrown off site a couple of times for upsetting employees - regardless of who’s fault it is the contractor usually loses any argument due to the dynamics and loyalties in the situation - develop good interpersonal skills very quickly (or leave the industry).

Christopher Glamorganshire: Questions to be Answered

Assisting Matt Wardman in his quest (posted 15 July 2008):

This post is a repost of the questions that I am interested in finding anwers to in the case of Welsh blogger Christopher Glamorganshire, who was sacked from his job because of his blogging activity in autumn 2007.

I have reposted them for reference separate from the previous post where I did a full analysis.

The most intriguing and important point is how the “Welsh Civil Service Code” has lead to Christopher Glamorganshire being “dismissed for activities related to the Glamorganshire Blog that contravened the Civil Service Code”, while the English Civil Service Code is now complemented by the set of principles mentioned above, which were developed after an English Civil Servant blogger (Civil Serf) caused a debate online among bloggers lead by a Government Minister.

The two Civil Service codes are identical except for changes to reflect that Wales has a devolved assembly. These are my questions about the harsh managerial approach that appears to have been used by the Welsh Assembly Government:

1 - The approach is slightly out of kilter in a country where only this week Hazel Blears was talking about giving more leeway for Council Officers to participate in the political process.

2 - It won’t work in the long run anyway, other than to provide maximum embarrassment when “control not collaboration” fails.

3 - The devolved Labour-led administration in Wales is pursuing a policy at variance with that of the UK Labour Government in a matter where they are using a version of the “Civil Service Code” that can only be distinguished from the UK Government one with a magnifying glass and a lot of patience.

4 - One of the great problems of the age is political engagement. Why strangle relatively neutral political comment in your own backyard?

5 - There’s a great divide in culture symbolised by Offa’s Dyke here, and a difference in practice. Yet Human Rights legislation does not acknowledge that difference under Freedom of Expression.

6 - I think that this case highlights the point made by Dave Cole before, during and after the Principles for Online Participation were published - protecting the Employee’s Right to Blog is as important as protecting the Employer’s right to have employees blog responsibly.

Christopher Glamorganshire: What a price to pay for freedom of speech

I'm running late with this story. You mustn't blame me as I'm busy packing for the big move this weekend and have taken a back seat from blogging for a short while - still managing the odd post as I review the papers.

It seems that 'Christopher Glamorganshire' was sacked from the Welsh Assembly Government civil service for blogging. I'm not familiar with the blog but have seen a link to 'Glamorganshire' on the blogs of many others. Sadly, it no longer allows you access.

A few months ago there was a rumour about a Welsh Civil Servant having been sacked, and comments of that nature were even made on this blog. I've noticed that there seems to be a healthy community spirit in the blogging community and a number of compliments have been made today, with the following among them:

• "funny", "well written", "not at all offensive"
• "Of course there are issues of confidentiality and lines that must not be crossed, but I can't remember a post by Christopher that was either revealing or controversial, certainly nothing that would appear to justify his dismissal from public service"
• “Clearly, if his contract of employment said he was not allowed to blog, he doesn’t have much of a case. But if it is simply a question of supposedly contravening the code, I think sacking him is very harsh and heavy handed.”

It seems that either these known and respected Welsh bloggers are wrong in their assessment of 'Glamorganshire' or the Welsh Assembly Government has grossly overreacted, leaving the individual to resort to an Employment Tribunal in order to obtain justice.

This all seems unfair to me, but best of luck to you 'Christopher'. Like any large organisation, the Assembly Government will - without a shadow of doubt - put their whole legal team behind the case, and solicitors are costly, so I fear that you'll need more than fair play, luck, and common sense on your side.

Here is the full article from today's Western Mail:

AN Assembly Government civil servant who was sacked for running a political blog is taking his case to an Employment Tribunal.

Last night a former AM who himself is a regular blogger said he found the decision to dismiss the civil servant “heavy handed”.

The former Assembly Government employee, whose real name has not been disclosed but who ran a blog called Christopher Glamorganshire, provided what readers saw as a neutral running commentary on last year’s coalition negotiations involving Labour and Plaid Cymru.

An Assembly Government spokesman said:

This issue regards a former Welsh Assembly Government employee who was dismissed for activities related to the Glamorganshire Blog that contravened the Civil Service Code. The case went to the Civil Service Appeals Board, which we won, and it is listed for Employment Tribunal in Cardiff later this year.

It is understood the elements of the Civil Service Code regarded by the Assembly Government as relevant to the case come under sections headed “integrity” and “rights and responsibilities”.

Under integrity, the relevant clauses read: “You must always act in a way that is professional and that deserves and retains the confidence of all those with whom you have dealings,” and: “You must not misuse your official position, for example by using information acquired in the course of your official duties to further your private interests or those of others.”

Under rights and responsibilities, the clause considered to have been broken states: “This Code is part of the contractual relationship between you and your employer. It sets out the high standards of behaviour expected of you which follow from your position in public and national life as a civil servant. You can take pride in living up to these values.”

Last night former Conservative AM Glyn Davies, a regular blogger, said:

The Christopher Glamorganshire blog was on my list of ‘my favourites’. It seemed to me to be written in a sensible and rational manner. Clearly, if his contract of employment said he was not allowed to blog, he doesn’t have much of a case.

But if it is simply a question of supposedly contravening the code, I think sacking him is very harsh and heavy handed.

This all smacks of the heavy hand of the state.

Freedom of Speech: Standing up for the right to blog

Glyn Davies stands up for the right to blog [within reason].

Last night former Conservative AM Glyn Davies, a regular blogger, said:

The Christopher Glamorganshire blog was on my list of ‘my favourites’. It seemed to me to be written in a sensible and rational manner.

Clearly, if his contract of employment said he was not allowed to blog, he doesn’t have much of a case. But if it is simply a question of supposedly contravening the code, I think sacking him is very harsh and heavy handed.

This all smacks of the heavy hand of the state.

We have another Champion!

More on this later.