You can't teach an old dog new tricks

Quote of the Week: Labour's All-women shortlist in the Vale of Glamorgan.

A female member of the Vale of Glamorgan Labour party wrote to the South Wales Echo saying:

“I know there is a silent majority of local Labour members who would oppose the imposition of a women-only shortlist for the selection of our candidate to replace John Smith. It is what I can only describe as bullying tactics from the National Executive which forced the local party to succumb to this policy.

“The polls indicate that the fight to return a Labour MP for the Vale of Glamorgan will be extremely difficult. Our chances of success would have been greater if we had the option of selecting a candidate from all our membership and not just from female members. Our candidate should be the best person, not just the best woman or best man.”

It seems you can't teach an old Labour dog new tricks.

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

Tinkering, Tailoring, but not Soldiering and Spying

After watching Dragon's Eye last night it seems obvious to me that someone needs to get a tight grip on the reins of Plaid Cymru.

.

As Glyn Davies and Peter Black AM rightly point out in their blogs today - it was awful to watch and just sums up how naive some of their politicians can be with their 'dangerous nonsense'.

With talk of the 'increasing militarisation of Wales', 'pulling out of NATO', and 'St Athan should be stopped until we have a full explanation of who the investors are, what their priorities are, who they're answerable to and who is going to be trained there', Jill Evans MEP seems to be doing damage to the party by pulling it back to its roots of pacifism, which is a narrow minded and idealist outlook to have in this modern world.

John Smith MP (Vale of Glamorgan) responded with:

The very idea that a senior responsible mainstream politician could be questioning [St Athan] at this stage is quite frankly madness... Every senior politician I approached to ask for help, including Plaid Cymru politicians, supported me on this.

Glyn Davies (Conservative PPC Montgomeryshire) posted:

But it does make you wonder what sort of a country Wales would be if Plaid Cymru were to be in charge. I have a message for all those Plaid supporters who must have been holding their heads in despair as Rhun ap Iorwerth was reading out the garbage that their only MEP had written, and watching with disbelief as Arfon made a bad position worse.

The BBC have also covered the story this morning. I know that it's only a proposal report to put to its National Council, but imagine there will be some embarrassed faces this morning as Plaid seem to be pulling in opposite directions - except within the Assembly.

Had a passing thought before I had to get back to work. I'm also beginning to think that Adam Price MP has added 'acting leader of Plaid Cymru' to his Chief Spokesman role since Plaid 'joined' the Labour party in the Assembly. Or have I just been a little slow in coming to this decision?