Welsh Budget. Simply robbing Peter to pay Paul won't do.

I have taken some time to look at look at the Lab-Libdem deal to pass the Assembly budget the main concession the Libdems seem to have wrung are...

1: An extra £20million for the "Pupil Deprivation Grant".

There can be no doubt that will be the Welsh Libdems main thrust in the next few months. La Pasionaria makes this on Subordinate Central (When is she going to realise the photo here just makes her look smug)? claiming that.

"We have agreed to support the 2012-2013 budget on the basis that we will be introducing a Welsh Pupil Premium. This means that from April 2012, every child in Wales on free schools meals will recieve an extra £450 of funding – no matter where they live, or what school they go to. This is a total Pupil Premium spending of £32 million, of which £20 million is brand new money for the education budge".

At first this looks at impressive. However  one wonders how much of the £32 million will go on implementing the project.

 But the main problem, is that poor pupils education is largely affected outside the school, where their parents may have had a negative experience of schooling and generation after generation are caught in a cycle of ppr educational achivement .

What we need to do is bring these Parents into the School Culture and . It may be an interesting project to instead of looking at accademic results to look at things like the Parents past experiance and indeed the strength of the P.T.A..There are good teachers in so called failing schools who work their socks off and they should no be held responsible for the failings of society.

The second part cover some of the same ground .

2: A £38.9million economic stimulus package over the next two years to be spent on capital :investment in schools, skills, and an increase in funding for the Arbed energy efficiency scheme.

but it is the third part of the agreement. that intrests me

3: Any consequentials resulting from the UK Government's Autumn Statement will be discussed between the two leaders.

The Third part of the agreement seem to commit Labour LibDems to a further pact.

This despite La Pasionaria's claim that

But let me be clear, this is purely an agreement about the budget for next year. With Labour lacking the ‘comfortable majority’ they predicted before the election, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have had the opportunity to influence the direction of our country. I am proud we have done this in such a positive way.

Do the LibDems believe that they can have power with responsibility ?

Well yes.But then hey always do

They can claim they secured money for education but they do not have to answer questions as Welsh Government  Ministers in the Assembly will of where it coming from?  They do not have to say from where the £20Million has been diverted to their "Pupil Premium"  .

If they want to be in government then enter into a formal pact or coalition and take responsibility for this.

The Welsh Assembly can only the £14.5bn it receives from central government and cannot raise any more through its own tax levy And with the political parties (all of them) mindful that spending money on Education and the NHS and constantly call for more money for both.

But they often seem to believe in Government that Money can be diverted from one to another and in opposition criticize from where to where doesn't matter.

In the meantime there's no money to stimulate the Welsh economy by supporting the infrastructure and helping business in Wales 

When you are preparing your electoral leaflets then parading  £20 million you've secured for education looks good and for opposition parties a £20 million shortfall in the NHS budget looks equally good.

Expect this for next May council elections.

We need a Welsh Government of vision and who don't look at just the NHS (Peter? and Education(Paul?) as the only important responsibility they have and opposition parties must act responsibly when calling for reform and more money for these  and look beyond the two and act responsibly  Let us  look at the future of Welsh economy as well.

Arab Spring reaches California.

This is not Cairo or Damascus but California USA. Whats the difference?

Wheres the outrage from the Media in the UK?  If you haven't seen the story then


A US university has suspended two campus police officers over the use of pepper spray on students at a peaceful protest on Friday in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Video of the incident shows police blasting seated protesters in the face with the chemical at close range.

The chancellor of the University of California, Davis, who had called in the police, criticised the use of pepper spray on the protesters.

However, she says she will not resign.

Ironically The demonstration was intended to show solidarity with protesters at another branch of the University of California, in Berkeley, who were hit with batons by police on 9 November.

The footage of the pepper spray incident, which has been circulated widely on the internet, caused outrage among students.

The protesters are seen sitting in a line on the floor with their arms interlocked, refusing to move.

The violence was unprovoked, disproportional and excessive”Davis Faculty Association statement

They try to cover their faces as officers in riot gear walk along emptying canisters of the spray on to them.

It seems that once again the West has dual standards .

Conservative Students Still Racist Bigots

BIt seems that Conservative Students have not changed their  ways

An effigy of US President Barack Obama was burned over the weekend by members of the Conservative student association at St Andrews University.

The incident is understood to have taken place on Friday evening on the town's East Sands beach.

One of those who attended said members of the association had ''no input'' and were ''surprised'' to discover Obama was on the bonfire.

The St Andrews Conservative Association apologised for any offence caused.

The university said it was aware of the reports and had asked to meet the president of the society to discuss ''very understandable concerns''.

A spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment further.

Matthew Marshall, president of the St Andrews Conservative Association, said: ''President Obama is an important ally to the British government. It was a stupid thing to do and we apologise for any offence caused.

Some may argue that Left wing students have  in the past burned effigies etc of Magraet Thatcher but the difference here is that there is more than a hint of racism in the burning of an effigy of Obama

And it can not be dismissed as a youthful prank  because it shows hidden depths of racism from those who cannot accept that a Blackman has been elected a President of the U.S.A,

Most of the who tool part at the gathering were probably shocked when they found out what had occurred but unless they take immediate action by expelling those responsible than  they will be tainted with this stupid act .

Of course some of us remember similar behavior from Conservative students before.

In the late 80 as Student a t a mature  Aberystwyth  I was generally shocked when what was then Called Federation of Conservative students 

• Dressed in Springbok rugby jerseys in order to show their support for the South African apartheid regimes .Some of whom greeted each other with Nazi salutes claiminfgthey were being ironic.
• Racially abused a member of the Student Union Staff for which individual members were suspended from the Union.
• Went on a drinking Binge to celebrate the rise of Adolf Hitler to power. Which was too much for the Conservatives themselves and they were disbanded.from the current association emerged

Although I have no recollection of it happening at Aber some F.C.S in the UK wore Hang Nelson Mandela T shirts or stickers similar to the poster below.

The last Chairman of the F.C.S. (1986) in the year it was disbanded was John Bercow  now of course the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Who knows where those on the  Beach at St Andrews will be in 15 years time ? some may well l have important positions in the party some may well be in the House of Commons even in the Cabinet I just hope this comes back to haunt them

Bulding a few Houses

David Cameron and Nick Clegg announcement  a £400m initiative to build up to 16,000 new homes by allowing an acceleration of investment in "ready-to-go" construction sites where work has stalled.

The prime minister and his deputy will hail the initiative, which involves new money and could see the start of building work next July, as a sign of the coalition's determination to reverse the slow rate of house building

Once again it is difficult to see that this strategy is one for England or the whole of the UK.

But if it is for England then if the Welsh Government  were to follow  suit  then this would be just under 1000 houses to be built or about 45 houses divided between the 22 Welsh Unitary authorities.

And this assuming that these Housed will be built on top of any that would have been done so anyway.

More welcome is a new scheme, running to hundreds of millions of pounds, to underwrite a small percentage of mortgages for "new-build" homes. The scheme is designed to reduce the size of a deposit, particularly for first-time buyers, by shifting the "loan-to-value" ratio. Banks are currently demanding deposits of up to 20% of the value of a property from first-time buyers.

Though it may well be the case that it will only make it easier for first time buyers to secure a mortgage not more likely and will not result in a grater number of first time buyers securing their mortgages..

What we have here is publicity exercise where numbers are thrown in which at first look impressive but in reality a just a drop in the ocean.

Some will claim that its a start.But what we need is a radical revue of housing especially social housing one solution would have been to use Northern Rock which was owned by the British Taxpayer, to provide the sort of Loans that the government have been talking about. But they have already missed that opportunity by selling the bank to Richard Branson. We could have used this bank as a means to setting the template for all banks but it was not to be.

We need a government whether in Westminster or Wales (or both) with vision and commitment.What we have today  is the equivalent of adding a few more bowls to the soup kitchen

Basil D'Oliveria

Tributes are coming in to Basil D'Oliveira CBE (4 October 1931 – 19 November 2011), who  known affectionately around the world as "Dolly", Although born in  South African-born cricketer. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket. He captained South Africa's national non-white cricket team, and also played football for the non-white national side. However under the Apartheid  refime he was forced to pursue his carrer un England for who played  in forty-four Test matches, and four ODIs. Despite his cricketing prowess, he was best known because of the "D'Oliveira affair", centred around his inclusion in the England side for a planned tour to South Africa in 1968

Dispite his undoubted talents he was left out of the touring party under the pretext that his bowling would not be effective in his native country. South African cricket officials, realising that the inclusion of D'Oliveira would lead to the cancellation of the tour and probable exclusion from Test cricket, exerted pressure on the MCC hierarchy and the decision not to pick him was felt by opponents of apartheid to be a way of keeping cricket links with South Africa open

.There was dissent in the press . But too many it was Doolys treatment by the MCC which brought out the worst in the people running English cricket,  and made us  confront the appalling reality of Apartheid and all but the MCC ducked the issue  and if my memory serves me led a particularly strong denouncement from BBC presenter David Coleman of the MCC cowidice  live on air  

In the  to this course of events and when Warwickshire's Tom Cartwright was ruled out because of injury, D'Oliveira was called up into the squad.] South African prime minister B. J. Vorster had already made it clear that D'Oliveira's inclusion was not acceptable, and despite many negotiations the tour was cancelled.  seen as a watershed in the sporting boycott of apartheid South Africa.

The D'Oliveria Afffair perhaps opened many more eyes to apartheid and was instrumental in the Gleneagles Agreement which led to the sporting and cultural boycott of South Africa so he indirectly played a huge part in the dismantling of apartheid which had forced him to play cricket  in another country.

I was a 15 year Schoolboy at the time and the affair was an important part in my education as the idea that a man should be excluded from anything because of his colour was abhorrent and a year later saw me taking part first demonstrations against the 1969 springbok tour in which my parents backed all the way.

The case of Basil D' Oliveria showed and still does that you cannot exclude politics from sport and the recent events in football and the comments of Sepp Blatter shows we  must  ever vigilant in opposing discrimination and racism. where ever it appears

Ruabon: Labour gain seat by one vote.

Labour took the Ruabon Seat of Plaid by just one vite Yesterday the result was
Dana Davies (Lab) 231
Pol Wong (Plaid Cymru) 230
Andy Kendrick (Ind) 155
Adam Owen (Tory) 59

This compares with the 2008 Election in which Plaid gained the seat from Labour
Nick Coulbane (Lab)184:
Andy Kendrick (Ind) 248:
Barrie  Price  (Plaid Cymru)  337:


However  if we look at the 2004 Election we can see that This was a seat Labour has a big lead over Plaid and had taken the seat of an former Labour Councillor standing as an Independent.

Michael Adams (Lib) 76

Nick Colbourne (Lab 289

James Kelvyn (FW) 75

Barrie Price 140 

Cyril Williams (Ind) 207

So whilst there must be disappointment amongst Plaid in Wrexham especially losing by one  vote it must be encouraging for the three remaining Councillor who face reelection next May, and  through the  high profile through the Plaid Wrecsam Blog which I'm sure most of you would agree is one of the best Council party group blogs not only in Wales but in the U.K. may will see them comfortably reelected. Though they may not be able to increase their numbers if Labour carry on riding the tide of anti Tory cuts.

But Plaid in Wrexham like the Party throughout Wales need Plaid to sort its act out on a Wales and increase its exposure of the lethargy of the Labour Assembly Government. Certainly isn't about time for those seeking the leadership of Plaid to throw their hats in the ring?

We cannot depend on Scottish Voters.

Delivering a lecture on the future of devolution at Aberystwyth First Minister Carwyn Jones , has suggested.he Welsh Assembly should get wider powers if Scotland votes for independence,

He said Wales' relationship to the rest of the UK would need a "radical reconsideration" if the Scots back independence at a referendum.

Independence or full fiscal autonomy would make the UK very different, he said in a lecture in Aberystwyth.

But he said further devolution for its own sake did not appeal to him.

Is this where Labour are in Wales or West Briton as they seem sometimes to regard it.

Is he really saying that any change to Devolution in Wales depends on the votes of people in another Nation? Surely the impetus should be coming from inside Wales?

And Carwyn could well be wrong. When the Irish Free State was created in 1922 , the concept of " Home Rule all round " which was advocated bt the Liberals and indeed the Labour Party  in the period prior to this died almost overnight and necessitated the creation of the  Plaid Cymru (1925 and SNP (1934).

And this may happen again . I f by the time The Scottish People vote for Independence or (I think more likely) some form of Devomax, the Welsh Assembly have not at the very least has Policing and Law and Order devolved to it. Then dominated by an London based Media and totally outnumbered at Westminster the attitude from there  may well be that there is no way Wales will be allowed to go the way of Scotland.

Clearly taking Carwyn Jones position then there will be no further calls from Labour for more powers to be devolved in the current Assembly. The Conservatives under R.T. (Homer) Davies, have reverted to crude Unionism and the Libdems under La Pasionaria,  seem to be content simply  attack on the easy targets for any Opposition the NHS and Education.

Which leaves Plaid. Who whilst they have committed themselves  to Independence need to look at the current Assembly and start drawing up list of powers they  feel should be devolved now.

Whilst some Nationalist seem to think that Independence should be the only option for the Party. There is no reason why it can't embrace those who feel that although they do not fully support this position would like to see a Devomax Parliament in Wales.We can argue about going further (and for the record I think we should) later.But we need to start now and certainly not wait foe events in Scotland to take their course.

To be fair the long leadership campaign has not helped and the lack of AMs willing to throw tier hat in the ring means we have not yet seen any really debate within the party. 

Any future  coalition deal between Plaid and Labour  should include a commitment to the Assembly becoming a full Parliament or at the very lest control over Policing and Law and order. Oh and how this body is elected.

Nevertheless with a Labour Administration lacking an overall majority Plaid should already be wringing concessions from Labour  and it could well be the current Budget stalemate  means this is already happening but just as Plaid have clearly upped thier game with their attacks  Welsh Governments inertia over using the legislative powers that we voted for last March they must see that any Welsh Government seek further powers not as Carwyn said for the "Sake of Devolution" but for the sake of Wales.