ryan writes

The race so far

2009-10-13T10:10:00.003+01:00

Huw Lewis' article on Wales Home makes interesting reading. In it he promises a progressive and radical agenda for Welsh government. I agree that the first ten years of the Assembly Government was about building a foundation for devolution. And, as public opinion grows in favour of devolution and even further devolution, we are assured that Rhodri Morgan's administrations were unqualified successes.

But now Wales does need to move forward. Former administrations have delivered some radical policies such as the early years education programme and the baccalaureate, but have shyed away from completing these reforms or introducing others. Wales has a lot to lose if the next few administrations, whichever colour, fail to deliver a radical, progressive agenda. Ten years since the advent of devolution Our Nation is still economically weak and civicly undeveloped. Now we need a serious agenda for governing Wales from all Labour's leadership candidates as well as the other parties.

I look forward to hearing Carwyn, Edwina and Huw's policies when they are ready. Though my membership of different affiliates I'm not quite sure how many ballot papers will be delivered to my door, but my votes are up for grabs people.

£16billion down, £159billion to go

2009-10-12T19:07:00.003+01:00

I think it's good that Gordon Brown is taking a more measured approach to paying off the debt. Nobody can deny that it is right to sell your car before denying your kids school books and this is exactly what Gordon Brown is doing today. However, £16billion is only a small chunk out of £175billion-ish, but it is a start none the less. And most of the assets listed are things that should not be in the public sector in the first place. Can anyone tell me why on earth Tote is still owned by the government?

It has been mentioned that the sale of these assets will take place while the market is at it's bottom. It's unfortunate but it is the necessity bought about by the crisis. My biggest concern is that an incoming Tory government will be quick to undersell the government shares in banks to their friends, ensuring a massive loss for the taxpayer. If anything, the taxpayer, who is also the depositor to and borrower from the banks should profit from their mess. Any of course, when the banks are eventually sold off, whether for a worthy price or otherwise, they should go a long way towards cancelling the government's debt.

The Middle Sea

2009-10-12T10:36:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I had achieved a personal feat. I had finished reading a book on history. The Middle Sea by John Julius Norwich is a splendid account of the turbulent history of the Civilizations and Nations living on the Mediterranean Sea. For me, the greater benefit from reading this book is an understanding from where many of the worlds' current troubles derive. I have also developed a greater appreciation for the enlargement of the European Union after the generations of war and shifting borders over Italy and the Balkans.

But there is something wonderful about Lord Norwich's literary style that helps you develop a fascination for the story. Personally, I often find history a dry subject and therefore difficult to read but I had no problems with this book. I'm now sure to read more about Roman Republic, Byzantium and the Venetian Republic in the future.

No Platform

2009-10-10T11:05:00.003+01:00

There is a good article on Wales Home by Patrick McGuinness about the trouble with No Platform policies.

A few years ago at my University Union one of the major and most controversial topics discussed at the AGM was whether to adopt a No Platform policy. I have always been against the No Platform stance because it really goes against my political instincts. I found that those who opposed the motion at the time where from non-political, conservative, liberal or Christian backgrounds. Those who supported the motion were those on the left (Labour or Respect) and members of the Jewish and LGBT societies.

I totally understand why those who would suffer or be made victims by a fascist or racist person or political party would support no platform and I have every respect for their position. They have every right to protect their friends and their community. But it has long been my view that a vacuum of debate will eventually be filled by something unpleasant.

The real problem especially for the Labour party is the view that has been expressed by figures like Hazel Blears. Allthough parties and organisations like the BNP and the English Defence League are fundamentally harmful to society, those who are drawn to support them do not necessarily support their values but are looking for a receptacle in which to express legitimate concerns surrounding issues like immigration and community cohesion all the while are being fuelled by the pace at which society is changing.

Can I be bold as suggest who is responsible for the rise is these kinds of groups. I blame the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democratic parties, the SNP and Plaid, Government, Councils and pretty much any other kind of organisation involved in politics. The political classes have failed to listen and address the concerns of those who really needed to be part of the political process.

My primary school's motto was "bach yw hedyn pob mawredd", which translates as little is the seed of greatness. Even the most minor concerns or misunderstandings, if not addressed properly can be allowed to fester into something bigger and probably a vote for the BNP.

Maybe when we sit down in just under a fortnights time to watch the BNPQT as it's being dubbed, maybe we can start to have an open and mature debate about these difficult and sensitive issues.

Spending Cuts in Higher Education

2009-10-07T08:45:00.003+01:00

Just a quick post. I read on the Freedom Central blog that the Assembly Enterprise and Learning Committee looking at the economic impact of higher education. I don't have time to read the report right now but I assume that the conclusions are what can be intuitively assumed.

The blog then explains that the Assembly Government is looking to cut 5% from the overall Higher and Further Education budget. I am very weary of any cuts to educational services in a struggling economy such as Wales and think cuts should be found elsewhere (including cuts and efficiencies in health). As a beneficiary of higher education all I can add to the debate is that the entire sector adds value to people (through education) at to the development of business.

The Assembly Government needs to clarify its priorities. Higher education needs to be part of a long-term strategy (along with investment into primary and secondary education, infrastructure and business support) to strengthen the economy and funding needs to be protects if not increased even when the budget is tight.

I'm looking forward to reading the report, but in the meanwhile urge support for all educational budgets, especially spending on science and engineering in the higher education sector.

Cymraeg yw Iaeth Yr Ysgol (Rhan 2)/(Part 2)

2009-10-05T16:35:00.003+01:00

I caught my attention that John Lewis had made it's website for it's Cardiff store fully bilingual. I am a bit of a nut for developing solutions for bilingualism online and was pretty impressed that the company has made the effort. You probably wouldn't find me in a John Lewis in a month of Sundays but its always good to see a large company treating Welsh equally with English.

If you know of any other companies that have fully bilingual English-Welsh websites post a comment below.

And so it begins

2009-10-02T18:05:00.003+01:00

We have had announcements from both Edwin Hart and Huw Lewis today on their intention to stand in the Welsh Labour leadership election. I am pleased that Huw has found enough nominations to run in the contest. There is now a candidate for everyone's taste.

I have taken note that Carwyn Jones is a little slow off the mark.

Enter Supreme Commander of the People Democratic Socialist Semi-Monarchial Republic of Cymru

2009-09-24T17:51:00.004+01:00

As one of the few voices on the Welsh blogosphere who will actually have a vote in so rumoured imminent leadership election of the Welsh Labour Party (which is telling in itself), I though I'd write a little about what I hope to see from the entire process.

Welsh politics is clearly nearing big changes. With the retirement of First Minister and veteran Welsh politician Rhodri Morgan, next year's General Election and the promised referendum on primary powers of the National Assembly for Wales, we will be looking at a very different landscape in 2011.

This is important because Labour as the largest party needs to elect a strong leader with a progressive vision for the future of Wales. Hopefully, all three candidates for the job will have a long think about what they would want to do in the role of First Minister and subsequently sell this vision to the members of Welsh Labour and the Unions, and importantly to the rest of Wales (even though they don't have a say).

Something I often say at party meetings/conferences is that Labour is the 'gwir plaid Cyrmu'. Ignoring the responses of deep sighs and slightly offended looks from party colleagues, I deeply believe that Our Party has a responsibility to Wales. Labour as well as the other three parties have done credit to devolution and the 'Welsh way', but as the first truly open and interesting election for a Welsh party leader since 1999 we should put up a showcase election with clean and civil campaigning on all sides, to show what our nation, small but strong is capable.

Unfortunately, I don't see this as being possible, which is a great shame for the Welsh Labour Party and for the rest of Wales. The cult of tribalism and personal spats will be revealed and by the end we will have a leader and a great bloody mess.

If any of them are reading, my appeal to the prospective candidates is to outline their vision for Wales in a clean, fair and objective way. My vote is up for grabs to whichever candidate impresses me the most and I will be listening very carefully to what they all say! I'll finish with this appeal to Carwyn, Edwina and Huw. Surprise us and do us all proud!

More on Carmarthenshire TV

2009-09-17T18:33:00.004+01:00

To be clear, I believe that the idea of the County Council launching an Internet TV station is a complete waste of taxpayer's money and will probably end up as another fluffy story propaganda machine for the Independent-Labour administration. The future hits on this blog will probably exceed those on any new service (which is saying something).

The Council already produce and distribute several issues their Community News paper at a cost of £114,000 a year. They plan to drop one edition and accept further funding from the National Assembly to fund the station. The county will pay £30,000 towards the cost of creating the station. So in theory it will cost the Council no extra money to launch the new service.

Plaid have quite rightly been quick to criticise the plans as a waste of money, especially during a period where the Council is looking to cut £6million from its budget. But why the Labour-Plaid Cymru Assembly Government is so enthusiastic to part fund the service while its own budget is under strain.

The new TV service is arguable a natural evolution of the Community News paper. The paper was originally launched by the former Independent-Plaid Cymru administration. Do Plaid Cymru now accept that their policy of a free paper promoting the work of the Council is now a failure? Conversely, can Labour allow this money to be spent at a time when large cuts are being made to the Education and Social Care budgets?

All money spend on publicising the work of the Council should come from the elected members of the political groups. Each Councillor already receives ample expenses and could easily afford to produce newsletters to promote their own party's work, as I know many Labour Councillors already do. This story is unfortunately indicative of how the unaccountable Independent group is taking ratepayers for a ride. Any public notices can be advertised in the struggling local press or on the County website. There really is no need for the County Council to produce all this rubbish that hardly anybody wants to read.

And in future if anyone wants a life-size photograph of Meryl Gravell's face, I'm sure she will happily oblige at her own personal expense.

Maggie No Go

2009-09-16T19:22:00.004+01:00

Harriet Harman's department was caught out today when they were criticised for neglecting to mention former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a government fact sheet celebrating 'women in power'. As written

1979 UK's first woman Prime Minister

Interesting when you give it more thought. Margaret Thatcher must have been one of the worst things to happen to women of the left in politics, setting the cause of women in power back a good few years. On the other hand, considering the barriers Baroness Thatcher had broken to make it to the top of the Conservative Party she still appears to have achieved an impossible feat, even today.

A Socialist's Least Favourite Word - Cuts

2009-09-15T17:06:00.002+01:00

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are currently in emergency backtrack mode after National Treasury Spokesman Vince Cable announced that to sum up enough cuts the St. Athan expansion will have to be cut. This confusion as it seems exposes the Lib Dems as a London-centric party where there is obviously little consultation between the central and federal braches.

The St. Athan project is an expensive scheme but we cannot undervalue it’s importance to Central South Wales. It’s a huge economic opportunity that will in the long term build a highly skilled workforce and encourage the Vale of Glamorgan to become a centre of excellence for aviation technology. Combined with the excellent Engineering Departments at both Cardiff and Swansea Universities, this Labour driven project is one of many that Wales needs to become a modern high tech nation.

However, as Marcus says, there is a real need for honesty with regards to cuts from the left. Both Labour and Plaid Cymru will have to sit around a table and come up with a reasonable budget for the final year of their administration. Cuts will need to be found and front line public services will be affected. What we must ensure is that long term projects like St. Athan and the Railway Electrification, those of massive economic importance to Wales are not cut, along with front line services for vulnerable people.

What we must agree on is that cuts from the left will be far more sympathetic that cuts from the right. We can see that the Tories are already watering at the mouth at the thought of all those services they can cut from the people they don’t give a damn about. Severe cuts will delay the economic recovery. Our nation cannot cope with another generation of young people introduced to mandatory unemployment.

The Maximum Wage

2009-09-14T19:05:00.000+01:00

This weekend at their conference, Plaid Cymru members passed a motion calling for a maximum wage. The policy is one out of the Old Labour textbook, but is it really a considered policy or just another indication of Plaid being a left-wing pressure group.

Poverty continues to be rampant throughout the United Kingdom. We can see it in the decay of our towns, the drug habits of our friends and neighbours, the continuing unemployment of an underclass. What we have is the end result of Thatcherism, a completely blind faith in market forces and a rejection of community and society. Today people often value their selves by the number of noughts on their bank statement, or its equivalent, fame and celebrity, rather than their education, family and acquaintances.

The difficulty is over who we blame. My immediate response is Simon Cowell.

Those in the City who are responsible for this short-termism that has lead to the crisis created an environment where they needed to make as much profit as soon as possible, even if it destroyed the business. It’s bonuses that have fuelled this business model, not high pay. In reality, the basic wages of City employees aren’t exorbitant relative to responsibility but bonuses and expenses are.

In the news we have seen Alasdair Darling and his G20 colleagues strike a deal on bonuses. Today we hear of increased pressure from President Obama and Prime Minister Brown on banks over bonuses. Progress is incredibly slow, and in truth little has changed since the economic crisis, but those in power are doing their utmost to draw some fairness back into the world economy.

What’s worrying about Plaid’s policy is that it comes from a party that is almost demanding to be left in charge of its own independent economy. The result of such a policy on the Welsh or British economy would be to marginalise business and isolate the market. The party still needs to learn that for such policies to work we must work together. United we stand, divided we fall is a phrase that all (well, most) Labour party members understand. Our history teaches us that we will succeed if we work together.

People like me who look for a broad left coalition between Labour and Plaid in Welsh politics are left disappointed. Instead of capitalising on their electoral success and their term in government in Cardiff, they have chosen to continue as a pressure group with little regard for social, political or economic reality.

Council's got it's priorities wrong I thinks

2009-09-13T11:14:00.001+01:00

Interesting short in the Western Mail editorial section.

Some unrelated figures:

n £62,000: Cut made to Children’s Services by Carmarthenshire Council in July by ending its agreements with Women’s Aid.

n £30,000: Amount per year Carmarthenshire Council is preparing to pay each year to run its own TV channel.

n £26,000: Pay rise announced earlier this month for Carmarthenshire Council chief executive Mark James.Ca

Stats: Female representation on Carms. C. C.

2009-08-15T19:34:00.004+01:00

In theory, about half of all Councillors should be female. Here are the statistics for Carmarthenshire County Council.

Total
17 of 74 (23%)

Plaid Cymru Group
9 of 30 (30%)

Independent Group
6 of 29 (21%)

Labour Group
2 of 12 (17%)

Others
0 of 2

Liberal Democrats
0 of 1

Executive Board Membership
3 of 10 (30%)

Take what you will from these figures. They show that the Council is not representative of the population, although I believe I'm correct in saying that Carmarthenshire is one of the better authorities in Wales for female membership.

One thing of note is that the current Cabinet has relatively (slightly) more women than the Council. The Labour group also has a disappointing percentage of women.

Now this is what you call news

2009-08-13T15:24:00.004+01:00

It never ceases to amaze me but the news coverage on USA networks such as FOX News is so incredible biased that I find it entertaining to watch. Of course, socialism is a dirty word in the US but with President Obama pushing his Health Care reforms the right wing press are having convulsions. Here's Daniel Hannan's take on the NHS on FOX News:

If you've got money or health insurance in the States your fine. You'll find most of your health care problems solved. However, if you poor or unemployed then you have little chance of getting the basic care you need. Luckily over here, even though the NHS leaves much to be desired and there is still an incredible need for improvement, you will get treated for free on an equal footing as anyone else.

Show you support for the NHS on Twitter #welovethenhs.

Welsh Assembly no longer fully bilingual

2009-08-10T16:49:00.001+01:00

I caught this post over on Che’s blog that reports that the Welsh Assembly will no longer translate English plenary debates back into Welsh.

I was of the impression that the Welsh Assembly and her Government was committed to a fully bilingual Wales. This apparent u-turn completely undermines that principle. The Assembly Commission is trying to save £250,000 which is understandable under the current budgetary circumstances. However, this is a blatant sign to the people and private business that this one issue, the only issues that really unites Wales is not a priority.

I’m quite frankly stunned at this decision and am surprised that there has been so little discussion or reaction over it in the press or the blogosphere. I’m now waiting to see how long it will take members of Cymdeithas yr Iaeth to graffiti the phrase ‘Ble mae’r Gymraeg?’ across the front of the Senedd.

Tony Benn once said we should ask five questions of anyone we meet who is powerful:

2009-08-08T00:36:00.001+01:00

"What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? How do we get rid of you?"

My First Eisteddfod: Meirion a'r Cyffiniau '09

2009-08-07T16:14:00.003+01:00

I must say that I was reasonably impressed with my first Eisteddfod. I was volunteering at the Labour Party stall and was expecting some hostility after the last time Labour had a stall at the Eisteddfod in 2006 when the entire setup was trashed by Cymdeithas yr Iaith. However, those who came over to talk to us were either interested in what we represented or were up for a good debate, something that I always like.

But the Eisteddfod itself. The Maes was much larger than I was expecting which is a good thing. In complete contrast to Alun Ffred Jones, I believe the organisers should look towards expanding the festival further after the recession. I felt that there was too little going on and there should definitely be a greater variety of events.

The greatest disappointment for me was the amount of public money that was being pumped into the event. The Eisteddfod is clearly a very middle-class event and too many of the stalls were either public sector organisations or universities. I feel that the Government is much to soft in the face of criticism of the festival organisers. Beyond that, there is obviously some gross mismanagement going on. There are far too few opportunities for private business and this needs to be improved by developing the image and events at the Eisteddfod.

This is just an impression I made from one day at the 8-day long event. Feel free to put me straight.

Finally, and this is the reason I have never been before. Accessibility. Every time I visit a new place I always look out to see if the venue is accessible for those with disabilities. If it ain't then I can't visit again with my family. This year's Eisteddfod seemed aright, although falling short of standards in many areas. Plus, if the weather was bad, conditions would be horrendous for those with physical disabilities, wheelchairs and parents with pushchairs.

My final point, and one I have made before. The Eisteddfod should find two permanent sites, one in the north and a second in the south which is not Cardiff. The event can then switch between the two venues every year. It would be cheaper, would allow for a future expansion of the festival and would of course better cater for those with young children, the elderly and the disabled.

Have the Totnes Tories started a trend?

2009-08-04T16:26:00.003+01:00

As soon as I heard about the plan by the Totnes Conservative Association to choose their candidate for the next General Election through an open primary I got a little excited. I feel that democracy can often be too difficult for the average Joe to participate in or get excited about. Whenever I chat to a 'non-political' friend about politics I often order them attend the polling station whether its to vote Labour, the opposition or simply to void the ballot. But I also advise them to get involved in politics, whether its activism through a pressure group or joining a political party. Politics is important and can be exciting but you have to take the first step which will involve some kind of commitment. My first priority is always to engage people in the political process before I get them to vote for me.

I like the Totnes approach because it endows some trust in the electorate. It brings them a little closer to the decision making. It also teaches the electorate about the Conservative association. Unfortunately, I can't see open primaries being repeated throughout the country for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the expense. The Totnes experiment is rumoured to cost £40,000. That means that it will remain the preserve of the Conservative Party, with Labour and the smaller parties not having anywhere near the finance to be able to afford such luxuries.

Secondly, I can see massive opposition from constituency parties over losing control of their selection. It is the party members after all, the activists who will be left to campaign for the candidate at the election.

However, it is the party membership who would draw up a shortlist of candidates. These candidate would already maintain the values of the party and would campaign on their behalf. Two of the Totnes candidates were already Conservative politicians and the third, Dr Sarah Wollaston (who coincidentally won the ballot) was an outsider. Additionally, the mere fact that the public at-large choose the candidate may mean that non-party members may be willing to campaign for the candidate come the election.

Ironically, I see the mechanism of open primaries in Wales having a massive impact on political participation, although I have nothing in which to back it up.

Positive start for better Welsh transport

2009-07-24T11:42:00.003+01:00

I was very pleased with Gordon Brown and Lord Adonis' announcement yesterday that the Great Western Mail Line will be electrified between London and Swansea at a cost of £1billion. Welsh transport infrastructure has been left to decay over the years and since the advent of the Welsh Assembly too much emphasis has been on road building rather than improving and expanding the rail network.

Of course, the environmental benefits will be huge and although the project will take 8 years, a twenty minute cut in journey times will make every difference in the world to businesspeople choosing whether to visit West Wales or not. When they eight years is over, it will be the choice of the Welsh Government on whether further electrification will be done on the Welsh network.

We must realise that this is a billion pounds spent that will make the greatest difference to south Wales. Although electric rail will serve Oxford, Swindon and Bristol, the time savings will be greatest down our end of the track. Its not often that Wales is gifted by such a large capital investment and we need to encourage even more similar projects to drag the country into the 21st century.

Announcement on Rail Electrification due by Thursday

2009-07-22T15:35:00.009+01:00

The Guardian reports that the Government will announce a plan to electrify the Great Western Mail Line between London and Cardiff this Thursday. This is a scheme that is long overdue, although it is said the process will take a decade to complete, although that includes major obstacles like the Severn Tunnel.

This announcement will not bring a news age to the railways in South Wales but it will herald shorter services and better quality all round. It could in the future also speed up plans to electrify most of the South Wales rail network.

UPDATE: The Syniadau blog has a more in-depth post on the announcement here.

Inspiration Lost

2009-07-20T18:32:00.003+01:00

40 years ago today, man landed on the moon.

Today the idea of space exploration is timid and hushed. There are no great engineering and exploratory projects ongoing today unless its a petroleum company looking for oil. The human race has lost its spark. We no longer have big exciting things going on to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. Were too busy looking at the lives of those who didn't win Big Brother rather than highlighting the magnificent inventions and discoveries that humankind continues to make.

Today the government launched a consultation on whether Britain should have a space agency. Why the hell not! And let's spend billions of pounds just for the fun of it. The cost of inspiring a new generation of young people and leaving a generation of adults in awe is well worth it.

Let's visir Mars! Let's build a colony on Europa! Let's journey to the end of the universe! Let's push the boundary of our achievements! Let us become again the inquisitive race that we should be.

Is ‘the next Welsh devolution referendum’ worth it?

2009-07-20T11:46:00.002+01:00

We all know the difficulties of the current devolution settlement for Wales. It’s difficult and time consuming and it’s a tribal battle between the pro-devolutionists in the Bay and the anti-devolutionists in Westminster. What I have noticed lately is that the Welsh Affairs Select Committee is now taking their role rather more seriously, remaining true to the spirit of the settlement.

Many see the WASC as a barrier towards Welsh self-determination. I now see it as a competent ‘upper house’ of the National Assembly of Wales. That is not its true role and there are constitutional difficulties surrounding such an arrangement, but it means that potential Welsh primary legislation is exhaustedly reviewed. This can only be of a benefit to the people of Wales, even if we have to learn to be patient.

The current settlement does enlighten some of the shortcomings of a post referendum age. Have the members of the Assembly learned how to scrutinise legislation and the government properly? There has been criticism of some of the secondary legislation passed by the Assembly. Additionally, there have been some notable events where senior Government ministers have refused to appear before Assembly Committees. Should the committees have the power of subpoena?

Secondly, should the Assembly have an upper house? The political answer would obviously be no. It would be impossibly difficult to sell the idea of more politicians to the people of Wales. But a second house would be an ideal way of bringing in experts to review draft legislation in detail.

To return to the original question, is the next referendum worth it? The referendum as put in the Government of Wales Act 2006 asks whether to remove the process where the Assembly has to request competency from Parliament in fields or matters in order to pass primary legislation. This referendum does not make any fundamental changes. Over time the WASC will enable the Welsh Assembly to legislate in all fields allowed under the 2006 act.

Should we start to consider another act of Parliament that would enable the devolution of further powers? Many people have ideas for further devolution in fields that would be more appropriately managed from Wales. Today, the most talked about issues are devolution of certain elements of the justice system, including the Prison Service and Youth Justice. The devolution of Youth Justice would open the door for further devolution of Criminal Justice and this would start to separate Wales from English law. Can our legislature cope?

Fundamentally, if Wales became independent when we all wake up tomorrow morning, the country would cope because it would have to cope. But that’s not my point. What I want to know is whether Wales has the tools, the institutions and the processes to manage our own affairs competently? As devolution quite rightly continues, there is much at stake for Wales.

The Welsh economy stands its ground for now

2009-07-17T12:18:00.001+01:00

The Welsh economy has displayed a sign of resilience this week as it is officially the only part of the United Kingdom where unemployment levels have fallen. I think we must all thank the First Minister and the Labour-Plaid Welsh Government for the swift way in which they rolled out the ProAct scheme.

However, as the Conservatives and Lib Dems have pointed out, the Welsh economy remains weak. We still rely far too heavily on the public and service sectors and when we emerge from the other side of this recession we must all start to consider ways in which to strengthen the Welsh economy.

Rebuilding the Welsh economy will be expensive, and will have to start by vastly improving education (both academic and vocational) and supporting more apprenticeships. The Government will need to invest billions into business start-ups and expansions (and I emphasis invest, not subsidise) and we as the public need to appreciate the imperativeness of organisations like International Business Wales.

Blogging Drought

2009-06-30T22:42:00.003+01:00

I've been trying to write a decent post about local government for the last month but I keep drawing blanks. I have been distracted by becoming increasing cynical of politics and the media.

Story after story has been about MPs expenses. Honestly, I have heard so much about this MP or that MP claiming for a toaster or for God knows what, I really couldn't give a damn any more.

Then we have the beginning of the General Election campaign. Gordon Brown keeps buggering everything up. First he announces that the Iraq inquiry will be held in private. They he says parts will be held in public. And finally, after (unprecedented) criticism from the Military and from the author of the previous Iraq report, he says that as much of the report as possible will be held in public.

On the right, the mask is slowly slipping off David Cameron's face. Less wealthy people can expect to suffer under his Conservative administration as severe cuts hit government expenditure.

And to make everything worse, the Liberal Democrats are failing to make any political capital, essentially brining an end to my dream of a hung parliament that may well be the 'Progressive Parliament' to follow the 'Sleazy Parliament'.

If I become any more cynical I might take an extended break from politics altogether.