The Wasting Mule reports that Secretary of State for Wales Stephen Crabb has been named Welsh Politician of the Year in a ceremony at Cardiff City Hall.
Organised by the Wales Yearbook Online, the Welsh Political Awards were celebrating their 10th anniversary.
The panel of judges was chaired by Dr Denis Balsom, who said,
“Post the Scottish Referendum, the panel felt that Stephen Crabb had revitalised the political debate in Wales, opening up opportunities for both greater powers for the Assembly and greater accountability to the electorate.”
Seems like he was given the award for not being David Jones his predecessor.
The Welsh Political Awards tends to spread these awards amongst the parties. and with the major prize going to the Tories
So Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid Cymru’s parliamentary leader, was named Welsh MP of the Year for the measured, painstaking way that he, as a backbencher, had managed to influence UK legislation in important areas such as stalking and domestic violence.
So he could unless (they had a ruling of only one prize only) Campaigner of the Year .
but this went to Labour’s Mick Antoniw AM, prominent (sic) in the fight to retain the Agricultural Wages Board. Abolished by Westminster, using the new powers of the Assembly, a replacement body was enshrined in specific Welsh Agricultural legislation that even, when challenged, survived constitutional scrutiny by the Supreme Court.
So that leaves the Liberal democrats AM of the Year is Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams, for exercising her political skills to enable the First Minister to achieve his budget, but also allow the Lib Dems to claim significant policy gains in the areas of health and education.
But her "skills" were hugely helped when Plaid refused to cooperate with Labour over the Newport relief road scheme.
Nevertheless La Pasionaria deserves the award for her high profile despite leading a group of only five in the Assembly and being tainted with the toxic legacy of Westminster colleagues in the coalition.
With Labour in hegemony they clearly were seen as worthy of an extra prize aand the Member to Watch is deemed to be Ken Skates, (Ken Who? to most of us) a Labour Deputy Minister who, says Dr Balsom, “is popular, quickly making a name for himself and likely destined to become a major figure in Welsh politics in the foreseeable future”.
This year also saw Wales’s highest profile international conference – the Nato Summit at the Celtic Manor in Newport. At the heart of the planning and delivery of this global event was Newport council leader Bob Bright, named Local Politician of the Year.
Mind you with scandal and changes of leadership in Cardiff, Swansea Carmarthen and Pembroke it was maybe best to award it to someone who done something outside their usual remit.
The Welsh Political Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Professor Lord Morgan of Aberdyfi.
Dr Balsom.
I thought K O was now on the Cross Benches but it seems I'm wrong.
So Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid Cymru’s parliamentary leader, was named Welsh MP of the Year for the measured, painstaking way that he, as a backbencher, had managed to influence UK legislation in important areas such as stalking and domestic violence.
So he could unless (they had a ruling of only one prize only) Campaigner of the Year .
but this went to Labour’s Mick Antoniw AM, prominent (sic) in the fight to retain the Agricultural Wages Board. Abolished by Westminster, using the new powers of the Assembly, a replacement body was enshrined in specific Welsh Agricultural legislation that even, when challenged, survived constitutional scrutiny by the Supreme Court.
So that leaves the Liberal democrats AM of the Year is Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams, for exercising her political skills to enable the First Minister to achieve his budget, but also allow the Lib Dems to claim significant policy gains in the areas of health and education.
But her "skills" were hugely helped when Plaid refused to cooperate with Labour over the Newport relief road scheme.
Nevertheless La Pasionaria deserves the award for her high profile despite leading a group of only five in the Assembly and being tainted with the toxic legacy of Westminster colleagues in the coalition.
With Labour in hegemony they clearly were seen as worthy of an extra prize aand the Member to Watch is deemed to be Ken Skates, (Ken Who? to most of us) a Labour Deputy Minister who, says Dr Balsom, “is popular, quickly making a name for himself and likely destined to become a major figure in Welsh politics in the foreseeable future”.
This year also saw Wales’s highest profile international conference – the Nato Summit at the Celtic Manor in Newport. At the heart of the planning and delivery of this global event was Newport council leader Bob Bright, named Local Politician of the Year.
Mind you with scandal and changes of leadership in Cardiff, Swansea Carmarthen and Pembroke it was maybe best to award it to someone who done something outside their usual remit.
The Welsh Political Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Professor Lord Morgan of Aberdyfi.
Dr Balsom.
“More commonly known as K O Morgan, Lord Morgan is a distinguished historian, academic, writer, broadcaster and now a parliamentarian in his own right, being an outspoken Labour member of the House of Lords,”
I thought K O was now on the Cross Benches but it seems I'm wrong.
1 comment:
Kirsty surely also won the award for the AM who gave the best impersonation of a helicopter this year, during her memorable arm waving performance on a recent episode of question time which also featured leanne wood of course http://agreenwales.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/so-how-... .
But we wouldnt argue with the recognition given to mick antoniw or elfyn llwyd - both richly deserved. We presume ken skates was given an award for being the assembly member with a name most like that of a northern workingmen's club act?
But where were the awards for paul flynn and ann clwyd this year? Isnt it a tradition at these awards that they always give an award to these two parliamentarians? whether theyve earned it or not? usually yes in the case of paul but never in the case of the odious deceitful clwyd!
But perhaps the most telling thing is that while Wales elected tribunes were falling over themselves to shower one another with baubles 99.9 percent of people in wales probably had no idea this 'award fest' was taking place. Says everything about the state of welsh democracy after 15 years of welsh labour rule in cardiff.
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