New Welsh Blogger: Hywel Williams MP

Hywel Williams MP (Caernarfon)

Fi ydi Aelod Seneddol Caernarfon (neu Arfon ar ol yr etholiad nesaf, a chymeryd
y caf fy ail-ethol!). Rwyf yn AS ers 2001, a fy mhrif ddiddordebau gwleidyddol
yw Polisi cymdeithasol; Diwylliant a Iaith a'r celfyddydau.

Welcome to the blogosphere. This new addition is more welcomed than most due to its uniqueness among the majority of Plaid bloggers - in being a Plaid blog that actually links to a wide variety of non-Plaid blogs.

A rarity in the world of Welsh political blogging, and a new addition that simply doesn't just provide an act of blogging fallatio in a desperate attempt to seek approval from the master.

Plaid peers at the back of the queue

Peter Mandelson will return to Parliament today when he takes his seat in the House of Lords.

His elevation to the title of Lord Mandelson [Baron Mandelson of Foy in the county of Herefordshire and Hartlepool in the county of Durham] follows his remarkable Cabinet comeback – the second of his career – in Gordon Brown’s reshuffle last week.

The controversial New Labour figure has given up his job as EU Trade Commissioner to take over from John Hutton as Business Secretary.

Following an introductory ceremony in the House on Monday, letters patent detailing his title will be read out.

In addition to Peter Mandelson, Susan Campbell, David Pannick, Stephen Carter and Paul Myners, will be in line to be raised to the peerage in the near future.

What happens when you oppose the House of Lords for most of your political party's life? - straight to the back of the queue [Dafydd Wigley, Janet Davies and Eurfyl ap Gwilym]

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.

Self-appointed Lord Protector speaks out (yet again)

Catching up with the news while I have five minutes, I can't believe how short-sighted our Presiding Officer (or as Alwyn calls him - Lord President) can be at times. Cardiff Bay regulars have always seen him as being self-serving when it comes to his role in Wales, and this also happens to be the viewpoint of some in his party. All the while, pomp and ceremony is meat and drink to his lordship, and this is hardly a well-kept secret.

It seems the Lord Elis-Thomas [Lord Protector] in an effort to get back in the news, can't help himself - yet again - when it comes to his 'position' in the National Assembly and Wales.

Elis-Thomas - in HIS latest political stunt - states that the role of the Prince of Wales should be redefined. He has questioned whether the Prince of Wales title was relevant to the "constitutional development" of 21st Century Wales. Elis-Thomas is no stranger when it comes to ceremony, including his own procession before each Assembly, and the renowned hypocrite should know better.

He also said there should never again be an investiture ceremony like the grand one for Prince Charles at Caernarfon Castle in 1969. But a historian has said a future event could bring global attention to Wales.

In an interview for BBC Wales' Dragon's Eye, Lord Elis-Thomas praised Prince Charles as "Cymrophile" [a desperate bid for more baubles in due course] but said "all constitutional conventions require a bit of refurbishment and re-examination".

He said he would argue that the title of the Prince of Wales was no longer relevant to the constitutional development of Wales in the 21st Century "...because the constitutional development has shifted to Wales' own institutions and obviously to the first minister and to devolved government in the National Assembly itself," he said.

"I haven't discussed this directly with the Royal Family and it's not my place to do that but if they were to ask me what should happen I would say that the role of the prince needs to be redefined if that title is to be continued."

But John Ellis, associate professor of British history at the University of Michigan, Flint, who has written a book on the 1911 and 1969 investitures, said the latter event was the most globally recognised event in Welsh history with television coverage across the world. "This was a huge event, that projected Wales across the world. Wales hasn't had a very high-profile image and I do think it did succeed in that aspect," he said.

He added there were risks attached to any future investiture, but said he could imagine it as an opportunity to promote Wales like in 1969 particularly with the worldwide media attention Prince William attracts. "I can definitely see how events like the investiture could put Wales back on the map like in 1969 but I do think it would invite a certain amount of controversy and debate," he added

In my opinion we have to accept certain arguments and facts. That being - our monarchy, or monarchy itself, is popular in the United Kingdom, and that happens to include Wales.

I happen to think that it works well for us, and can't foresee the idea of monarchy dwindling in popularity in the near future, or in my lifetime for that matter.

Prince Charles, the current Prince of Wales has his critics [don't we all], but is well-liked and has done some remarkable work through the Prince's Trust and its constituent organisations. His son, Prince William, will undoubtedly outshine his father in the popularity stakes and will be a great asset for Wales when his time comes to take on the role of Prince of Wales.

As long as you are a person, objective in nature (and not a republican for that matter), it would be difficult not to come to this conclusion. Unless you come to the ridiculous conclusion that the office is a symbol of our oppression and shouldn't be part of a modern Wales, with its shiny new symbol of clear-glass-democracy down the bay [yawn].

Wales, and its institutions will be stupefyingly ignorant to think that Prince William's tenure will not benefit Wales, particularly on the world stage. Whether you agree or not with the idea of monarchy, or the role of Prince of Wales, you have to agree that it is a position that would obtain instant recognition in the world, and can only do more good than harm for our reputation, and also providing a unique marketing strategy. The National Assembly and Assembly Government simply haven't made best use of this since its inception. Those, republican in nature, should simply put aside their issues of 'class equality' and chatter of 'monarchical primacy' for the good of Wales.

We shouldn't be naive on this and cut off our noses to spite our face. Embrace our past and its rich and sometimes controversial history; embrace the popularity of our institutions and certain members of the royal family; and make them blend well with the constitutional development of Wales for the benefit of Wales.

The wrong Jane is leaving government

Betsan Powys of the BBC provides up with a quick bit of news before she heads off to conference:

Jane Davidson, thought of at one time as a possible Labour leadership candidate, has told her party in Pontypridd that she's standing down at the next Assembly election. She made it clear last year that she wouldn't be going for the leadership but told a meeting last night that she won't fight the seat in 2011.

Jane Hutt on the other hand will also be leaving the government in 2011 by other means.

Mike German takes a bow

The BBC have reported that the Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Mike German is to step down at his party's autumn conference later.

Mr German, 63, who was a former deputy first minister, has been at the helm of his party in Cardiff Bay since the assembly was set up in 1999. He has also been leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats for the last year.

Mr German will warn there is a danger of the Welsh Assembly being left behind by the devolution movement in his speech at Clydach, near Swansea. He will warn that while Wales is grappling with the question of law-making powers, Scotland is racing ahead by pushing for more financial autonomy.

Ahead of the speech, aides said Mr German will declare unionism "dead" and say that in the future the devolution debate will be between supporters of a federal Britain and independence.

Party activists will discuss a long list of amendments to the party's constitution at the two-day conference. These include changes to the way candidates to succeed Mr German, who has vowed to keep out of the contest for next leader, are nominated.

Immediately after the assembly elections in May 2007, Liberal Democrat AM Peter Black called for Mr German to go. He said the party needed a leader with a "fresh mandate".

Fellow assembly member Kirsty Williams has already declared her candidacy for the job and is supported by Peter Black.

Two colleagues in Cardiff Bay, Jenny Randerson and Eleanor Burnham, are deciding whether to stand against Ms Williams.

The BBC asked back in March 2007... Has anyone else at this conference noticed the striking similarity between the Liberal Democrats' assembly member for Brecon & Radnor, Kirsty Williams, and the socialist French presidential hopeful Ségolène Royal? Or is it just that they happen to share the same burning ambition for leadership?

Kirsty will be hoping that she doesn't suffer the same fate.

New Welsh Blogger: The Western Male

The Western Male

So this is a brand spanking new blog.It is purely done for cheap kicks and humour, not to make any political points.

The blog's existence is inspired and continues to be inspired by The Daily Mash.

www.thedailymash.co.uk

To not tread on the toes of my inspiration, I will be focusing my satirical ire on Wales focused media stories.

If anyone is thin skinned enough to be offended by the post, I repeat, it is all done in jest and to hopefully raise a smirk.

For the first few weeks, I will link to the 'real' story, to allow readers to see the comparison.

Sights you don't see in the Senedd

Part 4:

An adrenaline fuelled debate.

[The National Assembly is sometimes lambasted for having a cosier atmosphere than the AGM of the Buttery Crumpet Appreciation Society]

Welsh Politico Blog Award Nominations

A competition run by Ordovicius has now received nominations from all four panel members.

Oudles of thanks to those panelists that chose a post from this blog [Adrian Masters and Alan Davies]. If a stranger ever sends a drink over and waves to you from the bar, you'll know who she is. Further congratulations to all that were nominated.

The Welsh Politico Blog Award consists of the Gold, Silver and Bronze seals of Owain Glyndŵr, which will be awarded to the three blogposts that the panel judge to have made the greatest contribution to or had the biggest impact on Welsh politics in 2008. The following is the final shortlist.

The Panel

Alan Davies
Managing Director of Junction 31 and Director at Cymro Consulting.

Daran Hill
Managing Director of Positif Politics and Chair of Public Affairs Cymru.

Richard Wyn Jones
Director of the Institute of Welsh Politics at the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University.

Adrian Masters
Presenter of Dragon's Eye, and former presenter of the BBC's Politics Show Wales.

Adrian Masters

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT VOICE Peter Black AM: Welsh Liberal Democrat leadership race to begin soon?

As well as blogging regularly and for the longest time, Peter Black has consistently taken an honest and open approach to blogging. In this post as ever, he allows us to see behind the scenes with candour and without innuendo.

MISS WAGSTAFF PRESENTS: How to make enemies and alienate people

Insider gossip with substance. As always.

PAUL FLYNN - READ MY DAY: Hypocrisy' versus 'hypocrisy

His account of voting with the Tories against his own government. Like Peter
Black he allows all of us to understand what it's really like in politics.

Daran Hill

PETER BLACK AM: Different Meetings

Peter Black’s blog posts are at their best when he gives a cheeky bit of insight rather than cutting and pasting the latest story from the Western Mail before anyone else because he seems to get up earlier than other bloggers. This short missive from the Black bunker is a great example of his frank style. Mischief maker or party political saviour – the jury will be forever out perhaps. In this post, the impact and economy of his last sentence is provocative blogging indeed.

HUW LEWIS AM: Adam Price's Kind Offer

Huw Lewis doesn’t blog for fun but to make political points and that’s why he’s always worth a read. He’s one of those politicians that it’s impossible to be neutral about (even within his own party) and his blog is always forthright. This post is a juicy morsel of political defence. It’s also worth noting that the two bloggers in question, Huw and Adam, are conducting a dialogue on their own blogs rather than posting on each others. That in itself speaks volumes.

A VIEW FROM RURAL WALES: Tipping Point

Absence from a legislature has made Glyn Davies no less relevant to Welsh politics and his blog remains a must read. One of the best things about Glyn’s posts are his provocative openings, which are usually engaging enough to draw me in (apart from the gardening posts). He usually develops a narrative which sustains interest and challenges the reader to revisit our conceptions. The non-Cardiff perspective which shines through is always well constructed and in this post he really makes you think about how devolution is delivering. Glyn remains one of the few bloggers in Wales who manages to write both from the heart and with precise language. Never afraid to cite examples, it’s never a rant, and always a pleasure.

Alan Davies

MISERABLE OLD FART: Holy Smoke
MISERABLE OLD FART: Leanne Wood - Communist or Nationalist

Very Witty writer + runs two blogs simultaneously in both English and Welsh. But doesn't merely translate from one language to the other. The content of both of his blogs is original, informative, and entertaining. A Welsh nationalist and a Plaid sympathizer (albeit from the right of the party) Miserable Old Fart is prepared to speak out against Plaid Cymru policy and hold Plaid Members to account, where others fail, which perhaps does not endear him to many plaid members.

MISS WAGSTAFF PRESENTS: Wiped from the Face(book) of the earth

Miss Wagstaff Presents is a must read- first for all the juicy inside gossip from Cardiff Bay. First to get political scoops. She/he/it has a finger on the Welsh political pulse like no other journalist. This story is testament to her growing influence, and the fear she strikes in to our Welsh political classes (particularly Labour ones!)

DYLAN JONES-EVANS: State of the UK economy
DYLAN JONES-EVANS: Welsh Conservatism and devolution

Dylan Jones Evans is one of Wales' foremost Economists, sums up the economic challenges succinctly in lay man's terms. His language is simple and his style is very engaging. Bloody good read.Whilst engaging with many economic issues, DJE is also an aspiring politician who not shy away from engaging with some contentious political issues, least of all his party's very own stance on the future of devolution in Wales.

A Frank and honest debate on Conservative Party policy on Devolution. Rather refreshing for a Tory politician on the question of devolution, which has long been shoved in to the long grass by other senior Tories.

Richard Wyn Jones

PENDERYN/BLOGMENAI: Beth yw pwynt Llywydd Plaid Cymru? (English translation)

AMANWY (BEVAN FOUNDATION BLOG): …Go on, say something!

VAUGHAN RODERICK: Y Gwir yn erbyn... (English translation)

Sauregurkenzeit Award Winner (Thanks, I think?)

Charmed, I'm sure! Thanks for the cucumber prize. One question... Should a judge congratulate the winner [don't know why] and then tell the wider blogging public which blog is their particular favourite? I demand a recount, unless the cash prize is enough to buy a new dress.

The winner of the prestigious Sauregurkenzeit Award for political blogging in Wales is:

Miss Wagstaff Presents [according to Cambria Politico]

Commiserations to Cynical Dragon who really really wanted to win this.

Congratulations to Pippa Wagstaff on consistently good blog content, on a successfully accomplished redesign and upgrade and, of course, winning the most votes in the online poll.

Judges Verdict: The standard of Welsh political blogs is getting better but is still lacking in significant ‘journalistic cutting edge’, impact on the political process or a coterie of regular post commentors. By rights, Peter Hain should have been the Welsh blogosphere’s first political victim but this opportunity was missed and taken by Guido Fawkes instead. Another major criticism is that many Welsh blogs are just rehashed versions and comments on other blogs or media stories with little original content. However, there are encouraging signs.

Judge’s Favourite blog: NoGoodBoyo

Getting on or off your modern soapbox

Not being sure whether this is a public event or selective gathering within the Senedd, Peter Black brings to our attention, the not-so-well-publicized interesting debate [to bloggers anyway] that is taking place on 21 October 2008.

Just a pity that we're not all invited. We could watch, listen, possibly ask questions, raise important points, and most importantly - guess which person in the audience matches their blog persona.

Could be the biggest Welsh public outing this year since the last one was cancelled.

Peter Black AM's To blog or not to blog?

The Bevan Foundation and Positif Politics is to stage a debate in the Assembly from 6pm to 7.30pm on Tuesday 21 October 2008 on the value of political blogging.

Speaking in favour are myself and BBC blogger Betsan Powys. Opposed are Eleanor Burnham AM and Annabelle Harlle from the Electoral Reform Society. In the chair is Victoria Winckler, who is Director of the Bevan Foundation.

Free drugs don't work

Welsh Conservative Glyn Davies hinted that something big was going to be covered in the London-based media this weekend, that will be so juicy that it will run for a week. He wasn't wrong.

Today, he gives us his take on the story that has been published by a former Welsh-based journalist in the News of the World. Yes, I know it's the News of the World, but this is a warning that plenty in Wales have been aware of for some time. Described by many as an absolute disaster in policy making, the story has also been covered recently in the Welsh press. This new article takes it a step further - pulling the plug on free prescriptions.

I've said it once, so I may as well say it again. The Welsh Assembly Gimmick Government's main gimmick - in order to make it stand out from Westminster - isn't quite going to plan. We all know that the majority of those that need a regular prescription, or are frequent users of the service, were entitled to free prescriptions under the old system. However, if something is FREE then it's open to abuse from others.

People tend not to think twice when it comes to taking items when free of charge. After all, it's only human nature. This is why it needs to end, or at the very least a nominal charge be placed on prescriptions (except for those covered under the old system). Not sure how the coalition partner is going to handle this challenging part to collective responsibility. They supported the policy in the first place with little reservation, and we all should be in agreement that it's going to be an interesting week in the Senedd. The usual arguments will be made, and what are the odds on the government dismissing the idea of 'pulling the plug' at first, only to change their mind at a more suitable date?

If only we could put an end to the freebie and first-to-do culture of the Assembly Government. More thought is needed when it comes to policy ideas, not 'What would make us look good in the public eye and provide a headline grabber that will run all term?'.

Welsh End Free NHS Drugs

HEALTH chiefs are set to pill the plug on free prescriptions in Wales—because they are too EXPENSIVE.

The free-for-all policy was only brought in by the Welsh Assembly 18 months ago—but has cost far MORE than the anticipated £30MILLION.

Doctors have been dishing out prescriptions for normal over-the-counter products such as vaseline, milk of magnesia and aspirin. And thousands of English people have also taken advantage of the scheme by registering with Welsh doctors.

Figures this year showed there were 100,000 more people on Welsh GPs’ lists than actually lived in the country. It has all led to the NHS there being overwhelmed by the spiralling bill for the drugs, with it draining resources from the rest of the health budget.

The Assembly has admitted that it has no idea how much it will have to shell out this year—but it’s expected to be MILLIONS more than last year.

The crisis will spark fears in Scotland and Northern Ireland over their own plans to scrap charges.

Scotland is phasing them out by 2011, and Northern Ireland last week announced it would cut charges before abolishing them in 2010.

That would leave England as the only part of the UK where patients would still have to pay. A senior Whitehall source said: “In Wales they are running out of money for this and can’t continue.

“They are going to have to pull the plug on it. It’s the last thing anyone wants to do but the financial realities are so serious that they’re having to consider it.”

First Minister proved wrong within 72 hours

As if by magic, a comprehensive example has been given in today's media which inadvertantly responds to a previous post of mine, and point the finger firmly in the direction of Rhodri Morgan's Welsh Assembly Government.

Just days ago, First Minister Rhodri Morgan was quoted as saying "If you look at our record I have led a government without any scandals" Reacting to an accusation from Mr Bourne that he had "squandered" public money, Mr Morgan said the assembly government had consistently been given a clean bill of health by auditors.

An official report by the Wales Audit Office [note the word AUDIT Mr Morgan] now reports that the £13.5m bail-out of the Wales Millennium Centre followed "severe deficiencies" by assembly officials and ministers. A "Wholly inadequate record-keeping" by the assembly government added to its lack of understanding of the venue's finances.

Former Labour Culture Minister Alun Pugh claims he inherited a "flawed" plan from his Lib Dem predecessor, which has been rebutted by Peter Black in a post earlier today:

What was equally bizarre was the performance of the former Culture Minister, Alun Pugh on the radio this morning. As far as he is concerned it was all the fault of his predecessor, Welsh Liberal Democrat AM, Jenny Randerson. He pointed out quite correctly that the centre's original business plan underestimated the cost of running the facility.

Putting aside the issues of collective responsibility which makes the Labour Ministers at the time as equally culpable for this business plan, any proper examination of the facts reveal that Mr. Pugh is being fairly conservative in his choice of facts.

The Centre opened in November 2004, over a year and a half after Jenny Randerson had ceased to be Culture Minister. Alun Pugh had had ample time to get his feet under the table by then and sort out any problems he may have inherited. According to the auditor's report he clearly failed to do so. Instead he has tried to pass the buck, something that does him no credit at all.

The Auditor General's report on the Wales Millennium Centre reveals some very major weaknesses in the way that the Assembly Government has managed its huge investment in the facility. In particular, Ministers and officials failed to keep an eye on the business risks once it opened:

Auditor General Jeremy Colman reported:

The Wales Millennium Centre was a high-risk, complex project, and although the public bodies funding it followed good practice in many areas, particularly through joint monitoring, there were some fundamental weaknesses. The project would have been better served if the Welsh Assembly Government had paid equal attention to addressing the risks involved in funding a successful business as they did to addressing the risks in funding the construction.

He said the Assembly Government had failed to keep up-to-date records on the WMC’s performance. He added: “The civil servants took a view the material they would otherwise have to hold was commercially sensitive and therefore was at risk of having to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act if anyone asked for it.“Well, we think that is an extremely bad reason for not keeping proper records; an extremely bad reason for not carrying out effective monitoring.

Conservative culture spokesman Paul Davies said:

This is a damning report that highlights in no uncertain terms the failings of the assembly government. The report clearly states the assembly government did carry out detailed reviews of the WMC's business plans, plans which highlighted several key risks. But crucially, it then stopped short of assessing and addressing these problems. This beggars belief.

He said the assembly government "effectively washed their hands" of the centre once it had been built, and added: "The assembly government have now got some very difficult questions to answer."

An assembly government spokesperson said:

The Minister for Heritage [Alun Ffred Jones] will consider the Wales Audit Office report on the Wales Millennium Centre, and the recommendations made, and will respond in due course.

Peter Black AM goes on to question on his blog:

This report states: “Although officials told us that they could access records held at the WMC on request, we have seen no evidence that they did so.”

The fact that officials failed to keep proper records because they were afraid of the Freedom of Information Act is just bizarre. How many other projects are they taking the same approach to? We need some answers.

Mr Morgan. The Welsh public will need you to greatly improve, not only in areas of policy proposals, competence and delivery, but also in the area of excuse making.

Miss Wagstaff Presents has been forgiven??

Valleys Mam has some news for me.

"Shhhhhhhhh you can access your blog from some Assembly computers [looks around], two people have told me so :>)"

It seems there are some who think we are the same. If only she had linked to this blog in her post I would've noticed her news sooner ;)

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?

Define "I have led a government without any scandals"

Scandal:

Offense caused or experienced; reproach or reprobation called forth by what is regarded as wrong, criminal, heinous, or flagrant: opprobrium or disgrace.

Speaking on BBC Radio Cymru discussion programme Wythnos Gwilym Owen, Rhodri Morgan said he had not heard the comments [The 39-page document, ‘Rhodri Morgan: Leadership Without Purpose’] himself but he had "heard from some sources that there is some really unpleasant political stuff going on and you just have to accept that".

"I've chosen to ignore them [the comments] completely," he said.

When pressed to respond to the criticisms, Morgan said his administration compared well with others throughout Europe.

"If you look at our record I have led a government without any scandals," he said.

Reacting to an accusation from Mr Bourne that he had "squandered" public money, Mr Morgan said the assembly government had consistently been given a clean bill of health by auditors.

I suggest the following for starters. I'm sure that others can think of more:

• Morgan speaks out on school buses [Wales urged to pave the way on school bus safety]
• Commissioner fears old people widely abused
• Wales going backwards over affordable housing
• End ‘confusion’ plea over first-time buyer scheme

This is only a conservative [small c] estimate of headlines over the last month. Just don't get me started on Culture, Economy, Education, Environment, Equal Opportunities, Finance, Freebies, Health, Heritage, Housing, Local Government, Policy Performance, Poverty, Quango, and Transport.