Saturday 28 March 2020

Are Unionists using the coronavirus crisis to damage devolution settlement.

One of the first things this Blog relies on when I start writing it in the morning about 6-7 is the regular Welsh News segment on the BBC Breakfast program .

So it was disturbing to read this on Nation Cymru

The BBC has been criticised after announcing that breakfast news bulletins from BBC Wales would no longer be shown on BBC One.
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said the decision was “shocking” and needed to be “overturned immediately”.
BBC Wales Director Rhodri Talfan Davies, however, defended the decision, saying audience figures were higher in the afternoon and tough decisions needed to be made given depleted staff numbers.
The BBC also announced that they would be broadcasting the Welsh Government’s daily news conference live on BBC One Wales, from Monday 30 March.
The daily press conferences – between 12.30 and 1pm – are convened for the First Minister, Ministers and Public Health professionals to update on the current Coronavirus situation.
Health is a devolved issue in Wales meaning that the response to the coronavirus pandemic is being spearheaded by the Welsh Government
“The announcement that breakfast news bulletins from Wales will no longer be included on BBC One Wales is shocking,” Adam Price said.
“The lack of coverage of our country by British broadcasters is already an issue without this during the COVID-19 crisis. The decision needs to be overturned immediately.”
BBC Wales Director Rhodri Talfan Davies, however, wrote on Twitter that they were being forced to cut back because of the coronavirus forcing staff into self-isolation.
“Hundreds of my colleagues are working incredibly hard to sustain programming round the clock in the most challenging conditions we’ve ever faced,” he said.
“Each day they deliver 14 hours of live news across radio and tv in two languages – and full online services. I’m proud of them all.
“Staffing levels at the BBC have been affected across the UK, and we have to make hard calls about priorities. The audiences at 1.30, 6.30 and 10.30 are significantly higher.”
The announcement comes as BBC Wales sees unprecedented demand for its news output. More than 700,000 viewers are tuning into BBC Wales Today each day with the Newyddion team on S4C also attracting their biggest audiences of the year., the corporation said.

 Fifteen Welsh Labour MPs are urging UK ministers to state clearly when measures to deal with the coronavirus crisis apply to England only.
They warn "mixed messages" could mean people lose confidence in their actions and refuse to comply with their advice.
In a letter, the MPs highlight "confusion" over a business rates plan that did not specify Welsh ministers would have their own programme.
The UK government said it was working closely with ministers in Wales.
The letter, to the prime minister, was co-ordinated by Labour MP Chris Bryant.
They describe similar problems with an England-only NHS volunteering scheme.
It says many people have been left feeling "angry, anxious and exasperated" during the pandemic by the handling of some announcements.
Other signatories to the letter include Gower MP Tonia Antoniazzi, Newport West MP Ruth Jones and Mark Tami, who represents Alyn and Deeside.
They write that they "warmly welcomed" the chancellor's announcement that tens of thousands of retail, leisure and hospitality firms would not pay business rates in the coming year.
But they say
 "at no point in his announcement did he make it clear that this was an England-only policy because business rates are devolved".
"As soon as the Welsh Government had clarity from the chancellor about additional funding for a scheme in Wales, the Welsh Government put in place a virtually identical policy, but it would have been better if this was clarified from the beginning," the MPs say.
"The same is true of the NHS volunteering scheme. We welcome it but we note that it never states that it is an England-only scheme, so constituents have been perplexed when they have tried to sign up."
The MPs warn: "The real danger is that such mixed messages mean people lose confidence in government's actions and refuse to comply with government advice."
I wonder however if there is a felling among Labour Unionist that this an opportunity to reverse the devolution settlemeny



LABOUR has called for the UK Government to ignore the devolution settlement and cut out the Scottish Government when tackling the coronavirus.

Speaking at Scottish Questions, Chris Elmore, the Labour whip, said funding for tackling Covid 19 should instead go direct to local councils.


The MP for Ogmore, who was standing in for the party’s Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, made the point during Wednesday's Scottish Questions in the Commons.

Elmore said: “The coronavirus has shown that local services have been decimated by the Scottish Government. They've passed on four times the austerity to local councils that they have received themselves.


“Would you agree with me that any additional budget resourcing should be passed to Scottish local councils to help bolster already under pressure local services?”

It was left to Alister Jack, the Tory Secretary of State for Scotland, to remind the Labour frontbencher of how devolution works.

Jack said: “Well, I do absolutely agree with him, but I must say, we've given an extra £2.7 billion in funding for Covid 19, over and above the budget measures announced this year. First of all an extra £1.3 billion in the comprehensive spending review then another £640 million followed on from that.

“And I think you're absolutely right. However, I have to stress that that is a matter for the Scottish Government under the devolution settlement.”


It is a exasperating to see on the above program that "Health Secretary Matt  Hancock "has  said he had also tested positive while for the virus along Boris Jounson with when he is only responsible for England.

Elmore  was presumably stating Labour Party Policy and whilst it is too early to come up with a conspiracy theory, among the Unionists and Westminster and Medium , they are clearly damaging the efforts of the Senedd simply by ignoring it 

I also find it For some reason the news that the Senedd’s  (Presiding) Officer) Llywydd Elin Jones has tested positive with coronavirus after ‘mild’ symptoms – and has told anyone with similar symptoms to self-isolate, has not been extensively covered by even the Welsh media let alone the UK .


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