Apparently Wales is getting the right Pocket Money.

There may be a few eyebrows raised amongst most politician in Wales to the Wasting Mule report that   

The Liberal Democrat peer  Baroness Randerson claiming according to latest figures from the Treasury, Wales is no longer under-funded as a result of the Barnett FormulaWales Office Minister Baroness Randerson says Carwyn Jones’ main reason for not embracing income tax varying powers has evaporated.The Liberal Democrat peer, who as Jenny Randerson was the AM for Cardiff Central for 12 years until 2011, says according to latest figures from the Treasury, Wales is no longer under-funded as a result of the Barnett Formula.Five years ago a Commission headed by economist Gerry Holtham estimated that Wales would get an extra £300m from the Treasury if the formula was based on social need .First Minister Carwyn Jones has said he could not contemplate backing the devolution of income tax powers before the funding shortfall was addressed.

Asked whether the Welsh Government should be more enthusiastic about embracing income tax powers, Baroness Randerson said:

“I think it should be part of growing up as a government to accept the need for income tax raising powers.
“Without income tax powers, [smaller taxes] are interesting, they’re useful, they provide a basic principle, but they’re not going to be significant.
“Therefore what the Welsh Government needs to do, I think, is to embrace these new powers and use them to their advantage, because they could really help to shape the economy in Wales. To begin with the First Minister said OK in principle but he was concerned they weren’t useful because of the lockstep [a ban on altering higher and/or lower].
“OK we listened – the coalition is a listening government. So we listened to the criticism that came not only from the Labour Party."

 But Ms Randerson does not  seem to be al that confident  for she says

At the moment, funding in Wales is in the region (Wales is not a bloody region) that Gerry Holtham said it should be [on the basis of need].
“You’ve had a problem in the past, you could well have a problem in the future and therefore you must tackle it in my view. The general election and manifestos is how you officially do that. But at the moment it’s not a fundamental issue.
“It would be interesting to have the up to date figures. We do need to absolutely nail it down as to where we are at the moment. But the Treasury calculations are that we are about fair. Gerry Holtham’s figure was [that Wales needed] 114%-117% [of spending in England]. When the Treasury last did their figures it was 114%, and that’s in the region he [was talking about].”

and  asked about Plaid Cymru’s decision to seek a £1.2bn increase in funding for Wales to reflect the “over-funding” of Scotland under the Barnett Formula entrenched in the “vow” made before the referendum on Scottish independence, Baroness Randerson said: 

I think it would be very useful to get fair funding by the definition everyone else has and I don’t think it’s a useful tack to spend your time trying to compete with Scotland. Wales needs to get what it needs in its own right.”

So its not fair then Jenny

It s the equivalent of a parent announcing that  her children should have £5 pounds a week pocket money and then giving one £7. when he or she threatened to move in with their estranged Father.

One wonders what  Baroness Randerson's leader in the assembly La Pasionaria reaction to her claims.

Maybe she should let us know.

It looks like another LibDem minister is being used by Westminster masters both Tory and Civil Service mandarins.

Never mind Jenny only six months to go and you can sit on the Lords as an opposition spokesperson   saying what you really think,