Labour ,Tories, and LibDems in three-legged race to botom.

 Two Bad stories for Labour Yesterday

Firstly, opposition parties were granted an own goal  when   Labour AMs  voted to prevent  Labour MP Ann Clwyd from being invited to appear before the assembly's health committee. 

Labour committee members voted to ensure a Plaid Cymru proposal to call her to discuss her concerns about the Welsh NHS was rejected.

Opposition AMs called their action "outrageous", "cynical" and "disgraceful". But Labour said it was "constitutionally inappropriate" for the committee to interview backbench MPs on devolved matters.

Elin Jones AM Plaid Cymru health spokeswoman 

David Cameron asked the Cynon Valley MP to lead the investigation after she claimed her husband spent 27 hours on a trolley before dying in 2012.

Now you can ask how many of he constituents  came to her with similar stories as her's before her husband death and what she did about it . Pass it on to her oposite number in the Assembly Christian Chapman for instance.

Labour response through Leighton Andrews was to claim that

 Opposition members are fully aware that it would be constitutionally inappropriate for the Health Committee to interview backbench MPs on their views around devolved matters - just as we wouldn’t expect backbench AMs to be giving evidence to Select Committees in Parliament. Rather than trying to manufacture rows in this way, the opposition focus should be on using the committee’s time to make sure the NHS is delivering the best possible care for the whole of Wales.

Last week, First Minister Carwyn Jones said Ms Clwyd had "no evidence" to back up her criticisms of the service.

He said material provided by Ms Clwyd had not enabled it or the NHS to investigate her allegations of poor care.
But she has insisted she provided Mr Jones with a comprehensive summary of complaints raised about Welsh hospitals whilst she was leading a UK government-commissioned inquiry on how NHS hospitals in England handle complaints.

So this is not a simple case of some kind of constitutional protocol. Shouldn't Carwyn loyalist welcome the chance to put their case against Ms Clwyd?

What ever you think about Ms Clwyd's claims sticking their finger in their ears going "Nah,Nah,Nah"  is not going to make
her go away.

What would he think about Labour backing Tories to cap welfare?

And the Party of Nye Bevan hardly covered itself in Glory  when it joined with the Tories and liberal democrats to overwhelmingly backplans to introduce an overall cap on the amount the UK spends on welfare each year.

Welfare spending, excluding the state pension and some unemployment benefits, will be capped next year at £119.5bn.

The idea, put forward by Chancellor George Osborne in last week's Budget, would in future see limits set at the beginning of each Parliament.

With Labour supporting the idea, the measure was approved in the House of Commons by 520 to 22 votes.
However, eleven Labour backbenchers defied their leadership by voting against the plan.
The rebels included former shadow ministers Diane Abbott and Tom Watson.
The cap will include spending on the vast majority of benefits, including pension credits, severe disablement allowance, incapacity benefits, child benefit, both maternity and paternity pay, universal credit and housing benefit.

However, Jobseeker's allowance and the state pension will be excluded.

Why did Ed Milliband do this because he afraid of being labled as the leader of the Party of Welfare by Cameron maybe.
But when you let your opponents dictate to you how you should act  you've lost any case to claim to speak out for the poor and disposed .

Last week   Mr Miliband  attacked Scottish first minister: "Alex Salmond  by saying  that Salmond used to claim he was a great social democrat.

"When he is advocating the race to the bottom that he used to condemn when it came from a Tory government.

It looks like Salmond will have to put a spurt on to pass the Labour Leader who seems to be in two-legged race with Cameron. Or three-legged race if yo include Nick Clegg.

Its frighting to think that its only Plaid,SNP and Greens who are providing any real opposition in the Westminster Parliament.