Its going to be hard to disagree with the leader of the Conservative leader in the Assembly Andrew RT Davies the Welsh Government has been “dithering” and of being paralysed due to nearly 400 consultations that have been launched since the last election.
The Wasting Mule reports that "The Welsh Conservative leader" (is this official?) s said a written answer from First Minister Carwyn Jones – which revealed the government had launched 394 consultations across all departments since May 2011 – was “symptomatic of indecision and dithering” in decision-making.
The answer revealed the environment department was had launched the most, 109, with health and social care also consulting 71 times and the education department 62 times.
But the government said it was an important part of open government
Mr Davies, said
: “It is important that politicians of all parties consult with the public and experts in business and the third sector.“However, Carwyn Jones’ Labour government has issued 400 consultations in just three years, which is symptomatic of indecision and dithering in the face of Wales’ problems.“It is right that people should be consulted about decisions which may affect them, but seemingly endless pen-pushing exercises should not be excuses for government inaction.“It is astonishing that the Labour Party has been in power for 15 years and is still spending so much time setting up talking shops instead of taking decisive action to address the problems in Welsh public services.“Considering the 400 consultations undertaken since 2011, it is a sad irony that so few actually take on board the views of the public as we’ve seen with Labour’s controversial centralisation agenda in the NHS and the downgrades to hospital departments.“Carwyn Jones’ stagnating Labour government must end its dithering and sham consultations and start acting like a government by taking tough decisions to get the Welsh economy and public services back on their feet.”
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: ( Why can't the Mule ever find a named minister?)
“Consultations are an important part of the decision making process of an open government.
“We make no apologies for giving people the opportunity to have their say on issues that affect them. This has nothing to do with ‘dithering’ and everything to do with open and transparent government.”Even those of us who may have a natural tendency to hostility to the Tories may look at this and say "Fair Point".
Indeed as one of those who believe that Labor's Lethargy in the bay is a danger to the Assembly and is its future should be backing Mr Davies.
We should go further and ask to what extent have any of these consultations ever resulted in a major change in direction of Welsh Government policy.
Consultations are seen as giving legitimacy to government proposals even when they are ignored or are set up with people guaranteed to give the right answer.
As Sir Humphrey Appleby may have put it ,,,
Ah, Prime Minister... It is characteristic of all committee discussions and decisions that every member has a vivid recollection of them and that every member's recollection of them differs violently from every other member's recollection. Consequently we accept the convention that the official decisions are those and only those which have officially recorded in the minutes by the officials, from which it emerges with an elegant inevitability that any decision which has been officially reached will have been officially recorded in the minutes by the officials and any decision which is not recorded in the minutes has not been officially reached even if one or more members believe they can recollect.
"Yes, Prime Minister: Man Overboard (#2.1)" (1987)
One wonders how many , Sir Humphrey clones are working in the bay,
It is nothing more than lethargy and dithering hiding behind a faux democratic process
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