It has long been an argument from Independistas in Wales and Scotland that no matter what ethnic group you come from you can play a part in an Independent Wales and Scotland in the same manner as any white person.
Indeed I see no differencebetween someone with English, Scottish or any other European origins and someone from Asia or anywhere else in the World claiming to now to consider themselves Welsh.So I am incensed that it is even deemed possible that calls have been made for the next census to include the specific ethnic groups black Welsh and Asian Welsh.
According to the BBC.
In the 2021 survey, people will be given several options about identity.
This includes an option in the ethnic group section for white Welsh, but campaigners are angry that in the black ethnic group option, there is no black Welsh option, only black British. The Office for National Statistics, which is responsible for the census, said it had consulted with the public. But singer Kizzy Crawford said she wanted to see the option black Welsh included in the section on ethnicity on the census, which comes out every 10 years.
Merthyr-born Crawford, who has Caribbean and Welsh heritage, told BBC Wales' Newyddion 9 programme: "For years now, whenever I've had to fill a form like this, and state my nationality, there's never been an option for me.
"I haven't seen anything that represents me. I've always put down mixed or mixed British but that's not accurate. I consider myself to be Welsh."I've always felt that people don't accept me as a Welsh woman because of the colour of my skin. Things like this just confirm that."
When people from Wales complete the census in two years, according to the draft version, there will be a box for white people noting they identify as Welsh, English, Scottish, Northern Irish or British.But for ethnic minority groups in this particular section, the classification is black British and Asian British with no option to say black Welsh or Asian Welsh.The question offered in Scotland is different, where people from ethnic minorities can tick a box if they are British, Scottish or otherwise.The census there is run by National Records of Scotland, not the ONS.Yasmin Begum, a writer and activist from Cardiff of Welsh and Pakistani heritage, tweeted about the issue, saying: "I'm Welsh Pakistani, not British Asian."Image Copyright @punkistani93@PUNKISTANI93ReportGwynedd council has asked the ONS to consider the categories again."It's very important that they re-think this question," councillor Nia Jeffreys said.
"How it is worded, with only the choice of black British or Asian British, it's like forcing people to choose between being Welsh or being black or Asian. It's not acceptable."But the ONS has defended the choice of options, saying there are a number of questions which allow people to state their national identity and ethnic group.
A spokeswoman said:
"Everyone who wants to identify as Welsh can do so through their national identity and their ethnicity.
"The census questionnaires are designed to ensure people have the options to do this."We've engaged widely with users in Wales and are proposing that anyone wishing to identify as Welsh and another category (including Asian or Asian British and black, black British, Caribbean or African) will be able to do so by completing one of the write-in options."
Utter tripe who did they consult with let's see the evidence. Back in October 2011 , I I joined the 60000 people who took advantage of the inspired move by the Welsh Rugby Union to watch the match at the Millennium Stadium and all credit to them.even with the result and which saw us lose to France . The day after I wrote.. ....Yesterday saw the whole of Wales united and one thing that brought a smile to my face was a number of Asian girls in welsh rugby shirts wearing headscarves . Did I say Asian Girls? I meant Welsh Girls
They will young women now and perhaps filling in the 2021 census. Ten years ago they made the decision to show that they considered themselves Welsh. In 2021 they could be denied the opportunity to express it.
Poor Alun Davies when he left Plaid Cymru and stood for Labour in the 2005 election it looked that he might just be starting a promising political career at last.
He was chosen as first on the Labour Party list for 'top-up' seats from the Mid and West Wales region for the 2007 Assembly election, and because of Labour losses in the region the party secured two seats.
Since being elected to the Assembly he was awarded the BBC Wales' AM:PM award for "Newcomer of the Year"[4] and has chaired the Broadcasting Committee[5] and the Rural Development Sub-Committee.
In July 2009 he was selected to fight his home seat of Blaenau Gwent at the next Assembly elections; he won the seat with a majority of 9,120 over the Independent candidate.
On 13 May 2011 Davies was appointed Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programmes in the Welsh Government.[6]
On 14 March 2013 he was appointed Minister for Natural Resources and Food in the Welsh Government. Davies was however removed in July 2014 by First Minister Carwyn Jones from the Cabinet for "unacceptable behaviour" involving requests for information about farm subsidies paid to opposition AMs including Plaid Cymru AM Llyr Gruffydd and Conservative Antoinette Sandbach.[
On 10 June 2014, the First Minister announced an investigation into a letter Davies wrote to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) regarding environmental concerns with the proposed development of the Circuit of Wales race track in his own constituency. As well as making up part of his ministerial portfolio, NRW had expressed concerns about the race tracks development.[15] In an investigation undertaken by Permanent Secretary Sir Derek Jones CMG, his report published on 1 July 2014 concluded that Davies had breached the Ministerial Code.[16] The report noted that in March 2013, Davies had been advised by his own department not to lobby even as the AM in the case of the race track, but had ignored this advice and had then written to NRW as the affected AM.[16] The report also revealed that the First Minister had contacted Davies in August 2013, after Davies had expressed support for the circuit openly in quote to the Western Mail newspaper.[16] Davies faced no punishment by the First Minister, but endured sustained calls for him to resign due to his behaviour.[17]
On 8 July 2014 he was sacked by First Minister Carwyn Jones following his repeated written requests to his civil servants for the private details of Common Agricultural Policy payments made to opposition members, including: Andrew RT Davies (Leader, Welsh Conservatives); Antoinette Sandbach (Conservative); Kirsty Williams (Leader, Welsh Liberal Democrats); William Powell (Welsh Liberal Democrats); and Llyr Gruffydd (Plaid Cymru).[18]
In October 2018 he was criticised for comparing councils who asked for extra funding to Oliver Twist.[
At the last Senedd Electioin he saw his majority slashed and perhaps with his old Aber friend Carwyn Jones standing down as First Minster his return to the top echelon s of the Welsh Government seem to be remote
So he has seemingly decided to become even more of a maverick criticised the party's election campaign, and attacked a shadow cabinet member as "utterly useless".
The BBC report that
Former Welsh Government minister Alun Davies said Labour needed to learn how to run a UK-wide political campaign.The Blaenau Gwent assembly member also claimed Labour's justice spokesman Richard Burgon was an "embarrassment" on last night's ITV election debate.The Labour Party has been asked to respond to the criticism.Mr Davies shared his view on Twitter of the latest seven-party debate, saying: "Burgon is utterly useless. Totally out of his depth. Got shown up again tonight. These people are allowing and enabling the election of this dreadful Tory Govt."He also tweeted: "OMG. @RichardBurgon is an embarrassment. And it's time that @WelshLabour and @UKLabour learnt how to run a UK-wide political campaign."ITV political editor Robert Peston said the look on Mr Burgon's face provided the "moment of the debate" when Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price asked why Welsh Labour had not introduced free social care in Wales.Skip Twitter post by @JohnRentoulJohn Rentoul
Report End of Twitter post by @JohnRentoul In response, Mr Davies tweeted: "For those of us in @WelshLabour it is a moment of utter embarrassment." The former Welsh local government minister also said he found it "surprising" that First Minister Mark Drakeford as Welsh Labour leader had not put himself forward as the party's spokesman in Welsh debates. However, a senior Welsh Labour source said Mr Drakeford was taking part in Welsh party leaders' debates and interviews for the BBC and Sky. The source added that there were other cases where the broadcasters had sought parliamentary candidates to take part. Mr Drakeford is not standing in the general election. Mr Davies declined to comment further on his tweets when contacted by BBC Wales.
Some might think that Mr Davies might Re-Rat and defect back to Plaid, but i doubt Plaid are that desperate and have shut the dor long ago.
Meanwhile, Labour's shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey has withdrawn a call she made on Friday's BBC election debate in Cardiff for a public inquiry into what she called "horrific" maternity failures at Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board. Following the programme, Wales' Health Minister Vaughan Gething said he had already intervened and claimed there was "no basis to support an extra process". In a statement issued by Welsh Labour on Sunday evening, Ms Long-Bailey said: "As I said in answering the question, I was not aware of the circumstances or actions taken by the health minister to establish comprehensive and fully independent review and oversight arrangements."
Since the debate wa scoming from Cardiff Ms Long-Bailey should sourly have been brought up to date on what the only UK legislature under Labour's watch, where doing and the potential of the crisis in the Welsh NHS raised. But it just goes to show that unfortunately Labour have still come to terms with devolution and remain London-Centric. much as I respect Jeremy Corbyn on many issues his understanding g of the dynamics of devolution is woeful and going to Scotland and criticising the SNP 's handling of the NHS there , which despite many failings is still the best run in the UK. Whilst here in Wales we have one of the worst hence preforming NHS and what we see from the London HQ of Labour is either blissful ignorance, or proof they don't care.
I am biased of course , but Adam Price's performance on the recent two "Leaders Debate has been impressive. Not that ypu would get the impression from the London media. Indeed it is telling that the two most impressive leaders Adam Price and Nicola Sturgeon sem to be left out of most of the coverage. Whether Adam's participation will lead to many switching their vote is open to question .
Wales Online in what is a pretty unscientific poll reports that
"Our poll suggests readers narrowly thought Labour's Mr Burgon, the party's candidate in Leeds East and shadow justice secretary, was the winner of the debate, giving him a rating of 65%. However he would have been helped by the fact that just over one third of the respondents (38%) said they were planning to vote Labour. Plaid leader Adam Price was arguably the biggest overperformer. Only 16% of the people who took part in the poll are planning to vote for a Plaid Cymru candidate in the December 12 poll yet they gave him the Carmarthen East and Dinefwr AM the second highest rating of 63%. The Conservatives, who were represented by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak, and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage were both scored 61% by WalesOnline readers. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon was close behind with a rating of 60% when people were asked to score the party representatives on 'how they did in the debate'. Green Party co-leader Sian Berry less impressed WalesOnline readers with a 55% rating while the least popular was Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, who only scored 51%".
However for Adam it was more of a chance to raise his profile ahead of the 2021 Senedd election.
"At the culmination of a debate that started with lengthy exchanges about policing and terror legislation in the aftermath of Friday’s London Bridge attack, and touched heavily on Brexit, Mr Price drew laughter from the audience as he briefly left Labour’s Richard Burgon silenced by asking repeatedly about the absence of the type of social care reforms in Wales described in Labour’s plans for government in Westminster.
Addressing Labour’s shadow justice secretary - who was standing in for Jeremy Corbyn - Mr Price said: “I think this is one of the most important questions of this general election. I see it in my own family, I see it in my 80-year-old mother having to try to negotiate the complexity of a means-tested system to care properly for my 84-year-old father. It comes to the basic question of whether we are a decent society. “And again, I don’t mean to bang on about this, but why is it when you’re in government in Wales - you’ve had free social care in Scotland - why can’t we have it in Wales? The thing about a national health and social care service is it’s free at the point of care for social care users. You could do it in Wales now, why don’t you?” In response, Mr Burgon said: “We need, in Wales, and across the country, we need an end to austerity. The way to achieve that is to get a Labour government. I wish Adam would realise, the people who’ve made the lives of people in Wales is actually the Conservatives who’ve been in government for the last 10 years.”
But as host Julie Etchingham attempted to move the debate on, Mr Price continued his point, asking: “You keep on saying how disappointed you are in me, not half as disappointed as I am in your government in Wales. If it’s possible in Scotland, answer me this, why is it not possible in Wales where you’re the party of government?” As the camera turned to Mr Burgon glaring silently at Mr Price rather than responding, loud laughter was heard from the audience. Mr Burgon eventually responded: “There have been huge cuts to Wales from the Government in Westminster, there have been big achievements by the Welsh Government in relation to the NHS.”
Indeed Mr Burgeon and Labour may reflect on how they think they can attaclk the SNP running of thre NHS in Scotland , which many would argue despite many failings is the best run in the whole of the UK whilst defending the Welsh Government with "Its all the Tories fault" line"
What an incredible statement. Its not "talking down" the NHS,it is attacking the absolute denial by your party that you are failing it by mismanaging it at the most important Governmental level.
Quote Tweet
Welsh Labour Press
@WelshLabPress
·
Adam Price is talking down our NHS again
The Welsh NHS remains true to its founding values – more patients are now treated than ever before; more people are surviving cancer than ever before. No new PFI in Wales, an NHS that has stayed in public hands. #ITVDebate
Show this thread
Jeremy Corbyn can go to Scotland and attack the SNP government and come up with plans for free social care in England, but the SNP has already done so, whilst the Welsh Labour government which should be his Flagship is more of old wreck which should be taken to the scrapyard.
