Wednesday, 18 April 2018

The "Third Class" Minister looks doomed.



The Third Class Minister Carwyn Jones was cleared of allegations he had misled the Assembly by an inquiry carried out by James Hamilton, an Independent Adviser to the Scottish Government.

Mr Jones had ordered the inquiry in November, when he was accused of breaching the ministerial code by telling AMs there had been no allegations of bullying relating to the Welsh Government in 2014.

So it seems  our Third Class Minister has been exonerated by one enquiry, but there did not appear any triumphal faces pn the government benches as he still has questions to answer,

Though it seems that he's doing his best to prevent them being asked.


The Welsh Government has taken the unprecedented step of threatening the Assembly with legal action if a debate about alleged leaks before the death of Carl Sargeant goes ahead.
On Monday night, First Minister Carwyn Jones sent a letter to Presiding Officer Elin Jones telling her that her decision to allow a debate led by the Welsh Conservatives was “unlawful”.
The letter gave a deadline of lunchtime on Tuesday for her to withdraw the item from Wednesday’s schedule or face “judicial review”.
However, just after 1pm, Ms Jones responded saying she was not “persuaded” by his argument and the item still stood to be heard.
The item will see AMs vote on a motion to legally compel the Welsh Government’s top civil servant to release a report into claims that people outside the Assembly found out about Carl Sargeant’s sacking before he was told.
The Welsh Government argues that the motion is beyond the Assembly’s powers as it will set a precedent that no information it holds is exempt from publication, no matter whether it is sensitive for personal, legal, commercial or national security reasons.
As Westminster also goes to the Courts to attack Welsh Democracy.

It is highly ironic that are one government threaten to the same.

A bid will be made today  to force the Welsh Government to publish the report which reveals if the sacking of Carl Sargeant was leaked.
Mr Sargeant was found dead days after being dismissed as communities secretary last year.
Ministers have refused to publish the full findings of the inquiry, warning it could reveal some of the witnesses.

The Conservatives will use an assembly debate to attempt to use the legislation that governs devolution to make the Welsh Government publish the findings of the inquiry which looks into the events before Mr Sargeant's death.
Mr Sargeant, who was AM for Alyn and Deeside, was dismissed from his cabinet role by first minister Carwyn Jones following allegations about his conduct towards women.
The leak inquiry was one of three ordered following the sacking and subsequent death of Mr Sargeant, who is thought to have taken his own life. 

Yesterdays session saw a spat between the Third Class Minister and Plaid AM Adam Price  in which Carwyn Jones attempted to mock Mr Price for taking up a Fullbright Scholarship in Harvard.

Carwyn Jones said:

 "I prefer to stay with the people of Wales, I didn't disappear to America" - a reference to the Plaid AM's time spent at Harvard University after standing down as an MP.

Mr Price shouted across the chamber: "Get out of here, you attack me personally in a question about personal attacks."
PO had to intervene again: "Please allow him to finish".


Plaid  responded  by pointing out the lack of support that seems to come from the Government benches

 
This was myself and reaction to Carwyn Jones resorting to attacking personally for him going to Harvard University. Tragically funny that the First Minister has to resort to such personal attacks in the while Labour AMs cringed!




In the Senedd today we witnessed the 'Harvard Moment'. The moment the First Minister took an ill-judged personal swipe at and you could see the little authority he had left drain from the long faces on his backbenches.


Political observers described it as being among the most "heated", "intense" and "angry" scenes witnessed in the 19-year history of devolution.


Labour AMs were described as "looking grim" by ITV Wales Political Editor Adrian Masters as their leader was both attacked and then launched into personal attacks of his own on a critics.


On a day when he was cleared of allegations he had misled the Assembly the Third Class Minister is beginning to look isolated it the Assembly as his own party cannot even pretend to be backing him in the Siambr.

He is damaging his party, but also seems intent on damaging the integrity of the Assembly.

Can he be considering bringing the whole structure down with him.



 

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