Carwyn often "laissez-faire and often dishonest"

The Third Rate Minister Carwyn Jones has said he wants to be remembered as being a "fair and honest" first minister after almost a decade at the helm of Welsh politics.

I am afraid I will remember Mr Jones as being  "laissez-faire and often dishonest" as his years at the tiller saw Wales fall behind the rest of the UK 

Mr Jones, 51, will step down as first minister and Welsh Labour leader in the autumn.

His proudest achievements were saving jobs at Port Talbot steelworks and attracting Aston Martin to St Athan, but he insisted he had no regrets about decisions he made during his time in the top job.
Mr Jones, who said he had would not return to his previous job as a barrister, said he wanted his legacy to be "I was fair and I was honest".

"I have never shied away from difficult decisions or tried to conceal them in any way, never, and I think that's as much as you can ask to be remembered for as a politician," .

 Whether he really can claim credit  for saving Jobs at Port talbot is open to question but as it is its a very  short list 

I make no apology  for repeating this Table which if he had implemented  the same measures as the SNP goverment in Scotland he could be proud.
 

Can he really be proud that Wales devolution is nowhere near parity with Scotland  or even Northern Ireland (If it ever reconvenes)  indeed he may well be remembered as the Welsh Leader whose capitulation in handing powers back to Westminster started the drift to the end of the devolution settlement and Westminster regaining more powers.


He refused to speculate on what he will do next, if he will stand at the next election in 2021 or accept a seat in the House of Lords.

I bet he does the latter.

He was Laissez -Faire and dishonest
and he let his Nation down
and sold it back to England 
For a peerage and a gown

It's the same the whole Wales over
It's the Nats what gets the blame
It's the Yoons what keeps the power
Ain't it all a bloomin' shame?

Some Tories will not be worried about Windrush scandal at all.

Senior Tories have rallied around Amber Rudd, amid criticism for her failure to know specific migrant removal targets.

The home secretary said she had not seen a memo leaked to the Guardian suggesting she knew of the objectives.
Justice Secretary David Gauke said Ms Rudd "made a mistake but didn't knowingly mislead" while Environment Secretary Michael Gove pointed to the vast sum of emails ministers receive.

But shadow home secretary Diane Abbott continued to call for Ms Rudd to quit.

"I am just surprised that she doesn't seem to take the issue seriously enough to offer her resignation," she told Radio 4's Today programme.

Ms Abbott said it was the decision to set a numerical target for removing illegal immigrants that contributed to problems faced by the Windrush generation, where Commonwealth citizens, who came to Britain in the decades after World War Two were wrongly targeted.

"The danger is that very broad target put pressure on Home Office offcials to bundle Jamaican grandmothers into detention centres," she said.

But of course the government  have tried to  deny the argument that there were targets or that  ifthere were  they did not make them or were unaware of them.

Amber Rudd MP‏Verified account @AmberRuddHR

3/4 I didn't see the leaked document, although it was copied to my office as many documents are.

The whole  "I didn't  order expulsion targets" seems to  resemble a Mitchell and Webb sketch

Some of the Windrush generation have been threatened with deportation, lost their jobs or been refused access to medical treatment.

Their plight has sparked a storm of criticism for the government, with Prime Minister Theresa May apologising for their treatment.



Though the Tories of course may even be coming to the opinion that the whole disgusting mess may not have much effect on their core vote


 


Even more disturbing is that it seems a quarter  are so prepared to follow the immigration rhetoric of the Media, Tories and yes previous Labour governments that they beleive this,


 Indeed I suspect that there are a number of Tories and their supporters who may be so racist that they see no problem with a policy of expelling all nonwhite immigrants.

Also thee fact that this saga has developed into whether the Minister lied is becoming a distraction from an immigration policy that was embraced by Mrs May when  she was in the Home Office  and which Labour joined in






The appalling  immigration legislation the then PM David Cameron  and his Home Secretary one Theresa May would pushed forward saw most of Labour either abstaining or voting for ir.

Diane Abbott (Labour)
Jeremy Corbyn (Labour)
Jonathan Edwards (Plaid Cymru)
Mark Lazarowicz (Labour)
John Leech (Liberal Democrat)
Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru)
Caroline Lucas (Green)
Angus MacNeil (SNP)
Fiona Mactaggart (Labour)
John McDonnell (Labour)
Angus Robertson (SNP)
Dennis Skinner (Labour)
Sarah Teather (Liberal Democrat)
David Ward (Liberal Democrat)
Mike Weir (SNP)
Eilidh Whiteford (SNP)
Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru)
Pete Wishart (SNP)



Note that all three Plaid Cymru, and the one Green MP all voted against the bill. Five of the six SNP representatives voted against it. Just six MPs from the Labour left voted against it (three of whom are now the leader, shadow Home Secretary, and Shadow Chancellor), and just three of the 57 Lib-Dems voted against it (one who resigned in disgust in 2015 and two who lost their seats in the furious public backlash against their party's collusion with the Tories at the 2015 General Election). Not a single Tory MP voted against it.
 Jeremy Corbyn should be given credit for his opposition but he is still surrounded   by MP who were cheerleader for a racist bill . which has led to people who have lived year all their lives that they are not welcome.
s

Is it hypocritical of Labour MPs amd AMs to protest Welsh NHS changes?

A protest , organised by the Labour Party, will be held at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest Apr 28).

Already 
The protest is in response to the Health Board’s proposal to downgrade Withybush Hospital from a general hospital to a community hospital.
The demonstration will start at 11am and end at 1pm.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party said: “As a result of the ongoing consultation with regard to the review of health service provision within the county Labour Party members will be holding a demonstration at Withybush Hospital on Saturday, April 28, between 11am and 1pm.

“The demonstration will be opposing the possible downgrading of Withybush General Hospital by Hywel Dda Local Health Board which is one options put forward by the Health Board.


“Any such proposal is strongly opposed by the Consituency Labour Party and we will be campaigning against any such moves by Hywel Dda to remove/downgrade current services provided by the hospital and provide them outside of
Pembrokeshire.”

Many argue that it is hypocritical of Labour to protest against such changes when they are in the acting government in Wales, and so whilst some degree of responsibility has been delegated to Health Boards, the Welsh Labour Party are still accountable to the running of healthcare in Wales.


 Meanwhile Llanelli MP Nia Griffiths  and and Lee Waters try their best to claim opposition  to changes to Prince Philip hospital,



 

 It all very reminiscent to proposals to close the A&E services at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Rhondda Cynon Taf,

 

 Here are  former Rhondda AM Leighton Andrews current MP Chris Bryant and their then Pontypridd counterparts Owen Smith MP and Mick Antoniw carrying out a similar hypocritical protest a few years ago.

Of course there is nothing wrong with any MP or AM breaking ranks from their parties running of the NHS in Wales.

But will Leighton Andrews for example was a Welsh government minister when the Rhondda AM  and will Lee Walters oppose changes to Withybush Hospital?

Or is it just his constituency  that there must be no changes to NHS Provision?

But Labour Politicians in Wales often fail to point out who is running the NHS in Wales and are  ultimately responsible for any closures.

They may be rely on the fact that fewer than half of people in Wales realise the NHS is the responsibility of the Welsh government, according to a poll commissioned by BBC Wales.

Forty eight per cent knew Welsh ministers are in charge, while 43% think it is the UK government's job.

As long as they can rely on the Tories are given the blame (though they share it) they can stand with their placards and give the impression that they have no responsibility .

New chair of Welsh Labour lives in Bolton!!!

 There appears to be yet another example that the Labour party regard Wales as merely a geographic location  as it emerges that he new chairwoman of Welsh Labour lives in Bolton in the North of England.

Wales Online informs us that  

Margaret Thomas, who has been the Wales regional secretary of the trade union Unison for the past six years, continues to live in the Greater Manchester town, where she is a magistrate.

 She took over as chair of Welsh Labour at the party conference in Llandudno last weekend, and will oversee discussions at Labour’s Welsh Executive Committee on whether there should be a change to current arrangements in the way Carwyn Jones’ successor is elected.

It continues,
 

Plaid Cymru has long been sceptical of the term “Welsh Labour”, pointing out that it has no legal significance and is merely a brand for campaigning purposes.
Reacting to the fact that Ms Thomas lives in Bolton, Plaid AM Adam Price said:

“This appointment blows apart the myth of ‘Welsh Labour’.
“However, it comes as no surprise from a Labour Party whose head office in London is out of sight and out of touch with Wales. If our country is to realise its potential, it needs a government at the helm which understands and cares for the best interests of its people and communities. The branch office of a Westminster party cannot and never will do this.”

Reacting to Mr Price’s comments, a spokesman for Welsh Labour said: 

“While Adam Price pens offensive claptrap like this, attacking hard working Trade Union women, Welsh Labour - in Westminster, in Cardiff Bay, and in council chambers and communities across the country - is getting on with the job of standing up for Wales.
“Since the Assembly was born, Welsh voters have responded positively to Welsh Labour’s progressive, outward-looking, and distinctly Welsh approach, and have put their trust in Welsh Labour to deliver for our communities.

 “In stark contrast, Plaid Cymru’s offer of divisive nationalism and narrow, inward looking politics has been repeatedly rejected by the people of Wales - most recently and comprehensively at last year’s General Election.”

Which to me just shows Labour arrogance  and that they have an almost divine right to power in Wales.  


But concern about the fact that Ms Thomas lives outside Wales was expressed from within Labour by Jeff Jones, the former leader of Bridgend council who is now a political consultant and commentator.
He said:

 “This is absurd and makes the party look stupid. How can you have a chair of Welsh Labour who lives in Bolton? When I mention it to people in my local pub, I know people will burst out laughing.
“The party goes on about its commitment to devolution and the existence of a distinctively Welsh agenda – yet allows a situation where someone living in Bolton becomes chair. It’s like having a chair of the London Labour Party who lives in Aberystwyth.”

Precisely ; if Ms Thomas had indicated that she intended to move to Wales soon, I don't think there would be a problem but she has been the  Wales regional secretary of the trade union Unison for the past six years and a Unison members have expressed concern to us about the fact that Ms Thomas does not live in Wales.


One said:

 “It would seem appropriate for a trade union leader representing more than 100,000 Welsh workers to live in Wales herself. People can’t understand why she doesn’t. Sometimes she operates from the Colwyn Bay office, which is much nearer her home than Cardiff, where the union’s headquarters in Wales is situated.

“The union is spending a lot of money on her expenses, including hotel stays in Cardiff costing thousands of pounds a year.”


A Unison spokesman confirmed that Ms Thomas lives in the north west of England, adding:

 “Unison has three offices in Wales, and as part of her job, the regional secretary needs to travel around the country on a regular basis, and to other parts of the UK supporting Unison members and branches, and meeting senior Welsh Government officials.
“As with all other employees of the union in Wales and across the UK, expenses incurred are reimbursed, which includes standard class rail travel and car mileage, paid in accordance with HM Revenue & Customs rates. This is common practice in unions and other organisations.”

You could use this argument to move the Welsh Assembly  to Bolton usung this argument.

Why don't  "Welsh" Labour and Unison argue for a vast improvement in Transport links in Wales?

Instead Labour seem in cahoots with the Tories to split Wales  into  a North west of England region around Liverpool and South West around Bristol.


This  is an incredible expose. It is not  a case of  " divisive nationalism and narrow, inward looking politics" to expect the chairwoman of Welsh Labour and
Wales regional secretary of the trade union Unison to experience the daily life of Wales.

There is no "Welsh" Labour no registered party with that name and a term that is used to convince the Welsh electorate that they have our interests at heart .

The truth is for many of that  leadership Wales, is nothing more than a geographical  region  that could just as well disappear into maps of North and South West England.

Welsh Government capitulation met with derision in Scotland.

  Yesterdays reaction from Plaid Leader Leanne Wood to the Welsh Government capitulation in handing powers back to Westminster after Brexit, saw what  I think was her finest moment in the Siambr.
 


 However it was nothing to bitterness coming from Scotland with The National saying

SO is Scotland isolated now that Wales has accepted a Brexit deal with Theresa May? Maybe. But we are where we always are within the Celtic sisterhood – leading from the front for a proper not a patsy agreement about the division of powers post Brexit. And since the powers and divvy up are vital for the proper functioning of the Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast parliaments, you could say the Scottish Government is fighting for the future of devolution. Ironic, eh?
Wales’ Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford says the deal his government has signed means powers in areas “currently devolved remain devolved”. That’s grand. But unless Cardiff has a guarantee Edinburgh’s not yet seen, the crucial little word “consent” is missing and the deal they’ve agreed with Westminster means Theresa May can dabble in Welsh affairs for the next seven years.

READ MORE: 'Wales capitulated to the Tories on Withdrawal Bill'

Now that’s a scary enough prospect – but there’s a worse one. Theresa could soon be elbowed out of the way by Boris or the Barking Rees-Mogg. Imagine how much time either of them would lavish on areas of shared responsibility with Edinburgh.
Anyway, the Welsh Government will now repeal the Continuity Bill, leaving the Scottish Government to stand alone defending its own version before the judges of the UK Supreme Court, probably in June. Plans are for a Joint Ministerial Committee in London next week where Mike Russell will propose another compromise, but Whitehall sources say their current offer is now final, since further change would only jeopardise the deal just struck with Cardiff.
So what is occurring in Wales?

With no offence to our Welsh cousins, their constitutional clout and their enthusiasm for home rule have never hit the same levels as the Scots. The referendum that established their Assembly in 1997 was won by just 0.6 per cent – and from the start the Welsh didn’t have the tax-raising powers won by the Scots.


Indeed, arguably Wales only got devolution because the Scots pushed for it. Today, despite every conceivable wheel falling off the cart at Westminster, Plaid Cymru has only recently started to advocate independence – for many years they’ve settled for greater devolved powers. That’s because the size of the Welsh population and its close integration with England poses big practical problems.
The Welsh Assembly presided over a Leave vote in Wales – the only one of the devolved nations or regions (including London) not to vote Remain. That’s testimony to the way in which Welsh politics and society still shadows England. According to Daniel Evans of the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research:

“Hardly any of the people we speak to in our research know anything about the EU dividend to Wales or the implications of Brexit for Wales.
“Instead they focus primarily on British issues such as immigration. This reflects the diet of media in Wales, which is the same as England. Scotland of course has its own media, a left-wing party in charge, and revived engagement in politics since the independence referendum.”

And there’s a final point. The man who made the deal with David Davis, Mark Drakeford, has just announced his intention to stand for the job of Welsh Labour leader, days after the veteran Labour leader Carwyn Jones (the architect of the defiant Continuity Bill strategy) said he was going to quit. Drakeford is a man with a mission – to make headlines in Wales. He’s done that – but he may soon regret not taking a tougher stand and a longer view.

The conclusion from The National is will be hard for many to read.

So Wales basically lacks the smeddum, history and democratic mandate to stand up to London. Maybe that explains their decision to take an early bath.
Unionist-dominated Northern Ireland has also pulled its punches in arguments with Westminster, and whilst the current First Minister Arlene Foster looks well capable of flattening any louche London Tory that gets in her way, she’s somewhat constrained by being a Brexiteer herself as well as the woman who sold her party’s soul for £1 billion investment in the province.

 It is up to us to prove The National wrong and we have a limited tome to do it. 

Brexit has empowered Unionism and you can feel that even Remainers in the Unionist Parties here rather than see it has an opportunity to  stand up for Wales see it as the chance to end devolution and see us devolved into England.

Why else did our Third Rate Minister and his likely successor capitulate in the manner in the manner they did apparently with concessions.

They have turned Wales into a laughing stock  among our contemporaries  outside Wales.

As our friends in Catalonia are being abused by the Spanish Police for carrying Yellow Flags the only flag Welsh Labour wave is a White one,

Another Third Rate Minister after Carwyn?

The UK and Welsh governments have reached an  "agreement" over a long-running Brexit "power-grab" row, which is little more than a surrender by our "Third Rate Minister".

As the BBC explains

The row centred on what would happen after the UK's withdrawal from the European Union to 64 powers in devolved areas, such as agriculture support and food labelling.
The powers are currently operated by EU officials in Brussels.
As part of its EU (Withdrawal) Bill - which plans to transfer EU laws into UK law in order to avoid a legal "black hole" post-Brexit - the UK government had initially proposed that those powers should transfer to directly to Westminster rather than to the devolved administrations.
It led Welsh and Scottish ministers to label the proposed law a "naked power-grab".

Wales' Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford  and front runner to gain the title of Third Rate Minister said the deal means powers in areas "currently devolved remain devolved". 


He said: 

“This is a deal we can work with which has required compromise on both sides. Our aim throughout these talks has been to protect devolution and make sure laws and policy in areas which are currently devolved remain devolved and this we have achieved.
“We have always recognised the need for UK-wide frameworks where the EU rule book will no longer apply. The original draft Bill meant powers already devolved would have been clawed back by the UK Government post-Brexit and only Ministers in London would have had the right to decide if and when they were passed back to the devolved parliaments.
“This was totally unacceptable and went against the will of the people of Wales who voted for devolution in two referendums. We are now in a different place. London has changed its position so that all powers and policy areas rest in Cardiff , unless specified to be temporarily held by the UK Government.
“These will be areas where we all agree common, UK-wide rules are needed for a functioning UK internal market. London’s willingness to listen to our concerns and enter serious negotiations has been welcome.
“In a devolved UK the respective governments need to deal with each other as equals and this agreement is a step in the right direction. This approach must now continue as we prepare for leaving the EU and the next phase of talks with Brussels.”

..... “Make no mistake; the Welsh Government will continue to make sure Wales’ voice is heard loud and clear so we can secure a Brexit that protects devolution, jobs and our economy.”

If this is what we can expect from Mr Drakeford  if he does replace Carwyn Jones then we who seek further powers for Wales  are going to be very disapointed. very disappointed  

Plaid leader Ms Wood said: 

“By capitulating to Westminster on the EU Withdrawal Bill, the Labour Government is selling Wales down the river. This is a bare-faced Westminster power grab which undermines the will of the people of Wales who voted for more powers in two referendums.
“By doing a backroom deal with the Tories in the UK Government, Labour Welsh ministers are yet again reminding us of Labour’s belief that Westminster is superior to Wales. While Labour capitulates, Plaid Cymru will keep challenging this Westminster power grab and protecting Welsh democracy every step of the way.”

Michael Russell, the SNP minister who represented the Scottish Government in the talks, told MSPs:

 “It would be an outrage if the UK Government decided to use what the people of Scotland did not vote for – Brexit – to undermine what we did vote for: devolution. The UK Government has no mandate to undermine the powers of this Parliament and therefore the Scottish Government will do everything we can to protect the devolution settlement people voted for so overwhelmingly more than 20 years ago.”
He said in a statement: “[The] UK Government’s latest proposals continue to give Westminster the power to prevent the Scottish Parliament from passing laws in certain devolved policy areas and while we expect the amendments to include the addition of a sunset clause the restrictions on our use of these powers would last for up to seven years. While any constraint placed on the UK Government will be purely voluntary.
“The effect of the UK Government’s latest proposal remains this: the Scottish Parliament’s powers could be restricted without consent. This is not something the Scottish Government could recommend the Parliament approves.
“There are two possible ways forward. The first is to simply remove clause 11 from the Bill.
“Both the Scottish and UK Governments could then agree, on equal terms, not to bring forward legislation in devolved policy areas while negotiations on frameworks are taking place.
“Alternatively, we could agree to abide by the present system. In that system any regulations preventing the Scottish Parliament from legislating in devolved matters for a temporary period of time must only be introduced when that is agreed by the Scottish Parliament.
“These are practical, workable solutions to this issue that will ensure the necessary preparations for Brexit can be taken across the UK whilst protecting devolution.”

However in Cardiff Bay seems to have surrendered  already , and we can seriously doubt that another Assembly Labour government will ever seek to regain them in 7 or even 70 whoever is in No 10.

Mind you if there are any Labour AMs who are prepared to put the interest of Wales first, then now is the opportunity to resign from Carwyn's  Cabinet and stand for the leadership on opposing this grubby deal and calling for parity with Scotland.

I doubt he or dhe would win, but maybe gain enough votes may wake that party up.

Is there going to be a "Stop Drakeford" campaign?

It is reported that Mark Drakeford will announce his intention to stand for the job of Welsh Labour leader today , three days after Carwyn Jones said he would quit.

The Welsh Government finance secretary is widely considered to be a front-runner in the contest.

 Drakeford, who is the first to declare his intention to run for the leadership, has already secured backing from senior Labour AM Jane Hutt, as well as Mike Hedges and Mick Antoniw.
Julie Morgan, Julie James, John Griffiths, Rhianon Passmore and Jenny Rathbone are also supportive.
Any candidate will need at least five nominations from AMs, other than themselves.

Meanwhile a former Welsh secretary has said.The next Welsh Labour leader must “shake-up” the party after almost two decades in power,

Carwyn Jones is to step down as the party’s leader and first minister in the autumn.

Lord Peter Hain said the party must now elect a “radical” new leader to shake-up the administration.


The former-Neath MP said:

“The biggest challenge facing the party is that they’ve been in power in government the entire life of the assembly.
“That’s a remarkable achievement, but the longer you’re in power in the current age, the more difficult it is to stay in power.”
“Welsh Labour must elect a radical leader in the tradition of Nye Bevan,” he added.
“The assembly administration needs a big shake-up and we need a leader who is going to do that: to really drive the welsh civil service to be more innovative and more optimistic.”

 I winder if this is  beginning of Stop Drakeford" campaign?

 Prof Drakeford, who has been a professor at Cardiff University, is on the left of the party and has been the Labour assembly group's most high profile supporter of Jeremy Corbyn.

But he is not particularly inspiring
 
Labour has led the Welsh Government, either on its own or in coalition, since the assembly was formed in 1999 and they have not exactly set Wales alight .

It comes as one political expert said some Labour members may be asking if they wanted “yet another middle aged white man from south Wales” in the top job.

Prof Drakeford, who has been a professor at Cardiff University, is on the left of the party and has been the Labour assembly group's most high profile supporter of Jeremy Corbyn.

Prof Scully said if any of the above throw their name in the hat, it opens up the possibility for the first woman, BME politician, or north Wales AM to hold the top job.
 
He told BBC Wales:

 “One question that many people in the Labour party in Wales will be asking themselves is does the next leader have to be yet another middle aged white man from south Wales?”

I don't think Prof Scully is promoting a2Stop Drakeford" campaign but is words may be used by those not wanting a Corbyn supporter  as leader may well use this to promote a candidate from the right 

Eluned Morgan, Vaughan Gething  or Ken Skates,  could be touted as the first woman, BME politician, or north Wales AM to lead the party.

Whilst this would a refreshing change I recall how the Blarites  used the attempt to get more Women  elected  to Westminster as a means of weaning out Left Wing candidates  (ironically including women) and replacing them with the so called"Blair Babes",

I am not writing this post as an old reactionary. I support positive discrimination and would like to see more  Women and  BME politicians elected.

The problem is that it could be used by the right who have opposed such positive discrimination in the past  against the left and results in a repeat of the Blair government which saw a  vast increase in Women MPs , who did little to improve the lot  of ordinary women.

Corbyn should look at what Welsh Labour have failed to do.

Speaking after his address to conference, Jeremy  said: 

“I pay tribute to Carwyn for all he has done. Thank him for his courage in taking over Cardiff Airport, thank him for his work on defending the steel industry and industrial investment and thank him for his support for the education programmes been put forward by the Welsh Labour Government”.

Mr Corbyn sought to reassure Labour voters that despite recent national and Welsh trials, they were still the party they should choose.
Mr Corbyn said:

 “Welsh Labour represents the people of Wales, Welsh Labour is determined to invest in the future of Wales, Welsh Labour is leading the way on transport investment, industrial investment and infrastructure.
"Wales is a more equal place with Labour than it could ever be with anyone else.”

I wonder if he really knows the 20 year record of the dominance of the Welsh Assembly ?

Maybe he should compare it with the SNP government  in Scotland.


Indeed if he is looking for an example of what a Labour government could do if it regains power in Westminster, Welsh Labour is not the one he should follow.

Of course he wants to replace the SNP government  with a Labour  and has Richard Leonard claiming the Corbyn mantle , where he attacks the SNP  sometimes rightly, but all to often on powers that are reserved at Westminster.

Whatever the case if Jeremy wants to run a true socialists government  in Westminster.  He should looks at what Labour in Wales in power for nearly 20 years have failed to do, not their very small achievements.

Carwyn Jones has unwittingly thrown his party a curve ball

I wonder if the Third Rate Minister  Carwyn Jones Knew that he was potentially throwing his party a curved ball when he announced  the result of the first-ever Welsh Labour deputy leadership race before he  revealed he would stand down as First Minister later this year.


Defeated deputy leadership candidate Julie Morgan has said Welsh Labour has to change its "undemocratic" voting system.

The Cardiff North AM won significantly more votes from the party's membership and yet lost the first-ever Welsh Labour deputy leadership race to rival Carolyn Harris MP.

The weighted system has been criticised by opponents, including Mrs Morgan, as giving members less influence, and unions and politicians more.
The electoral college gives the support of all members as a whole the same amount of weight as the votes of MPs and AMs and the decisions made by unions and other affiliates.

It means AMs who are also members of the party and members of an affiliated union can often vote several times.
There has been significant criticism over how some of the biggest unions took the decision to back Carolyn Harris without consulting their membership.
It is understood that Unite Wales' decision was taken by "just three or four people".
Mrs Morgan said her vote as an AM is worth 400 times that of a member.
She won the members vote, but lost the trade unions and parliamentarian vote.
Her team have calculated she had more than 65% of the members vote.

Labour's deputy leadership result

How the votes added up:
Affiliates
Carolyn Harris - 20.14%
Julie Morgan - 13.19%
Members
Carolyn Harris - 11.61%
Julie Morgan - 21.73%
MPs, AMs and MEPs:
Carolyn Harris - 19.75%
Julie Morgan - 13.58%
Total:
Carolyn Harris - 51.5%
Julie Morgan - 48.5%

Mrs Morgan spoke of her frustration she lost out to the same system which saw her late husband Rhodri lose out as leader.
He lost out to Alun Michael to become Wales’ then First Secretary in 1999 despite winning the most members' votes.
She said: 

"It frustrates me and upsets me. It's the thought that he went through all that and was desperate for the job as leader and we're still using the same system now that returns what is clearly not a democratic result."
"I am obviously disappointed not to have won but I am very pleased it was very close and of course the key issue is that I won the members vote.
"I overwhelmingly won that members' vote.
"The Parliamentarians vote was 19.75% to 13.5% and that compensated a little but wasn't enough.
"If two or three Parliamentarians voted for me I would have won because their votes are weighted about 400x more.
"This is what I predicted. We could have just edged it but we knew the odds were stacked against us.

She took the majority of the members votes, with 65.2% of those members who voted selecting Mrs Morgan.

"Members have spoken to me and are disappointed because of the vast number of members who voted for me.
"I want to make it clear that I knew these rules when I stood so I am accepting the result, it's just that the campaign continues on my behalf to try to get one-member-one-vote.
"I think this takes that campaign a step further. I think there's more hope now.
"I don't feel down, I feel like I have won because it's got the case for one-member-one-vote out there and very pleased that we did so well there."

Which leaves Welsh Labour with a dilemma  as one Leadership contest ends and another one starts.

Do they run it under the electoral college rules or under One Member One Vote?

If they do the former, then they risk of a repeat of the debacle of the first Welsh leader elections where the membership voted for Rhodri Morgan only to seee Tony Blair's   choice of Alun Michael winning in the same way Carolyn Harris did Yesterday.

The result was marked by the historically high level of support for Plaid Cymru, who won their highest share of the vote in any Wales-wide election and, as of 2016, their highest number of seats in an Assembly election to date. The party won considerable support in traditionally safe Labour areas such as the South Wales Valleys, winning Rhondda and Islwyn and narrowly failing to win a number of other seats.

However to change the rules now, would completely undermine the recent election of Carolyn Harris and whilst it may be pretty much a non-job, how much authority can she claim?

 Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford, considered by many to be a front-runner for the job of first minister, said he was giving "serious consideration" to putting himself in the running following Mr Jones's announcement. 

I suspect there will be moves to see that Mr Drakeford , remains the only candidate and there is a coronation rather an election,

Ken Skates and Alun Cairns joint managers of the Wales Royal Theme Park.

With nearly 40,000 signing a petition ( the equivalent of 700.000 in England) against the renaming og the second Severn  to crossing to the Prince of Wales you would expect the Welsh Government, to at least try and stop tugging their forelocks for a moment and acknowledge that this is not overwhelmingly popular move.

 

However it seems that changing the name of the Second Severn Crossing to the Prince of Wales Bridge is supported by "many people in Wales", according to Ken Skates.

The economy secretary said the Welsh Government will not ask the UK government to rethink the move.


Mr Skates said:

 "I think it's absolutely right that the Prince of Wales is recognised, and the naming of the bridge after him, I think, whilst it's in the gift of the UK government, is something that many, many people in Wales will support.
"But I would say, also, that there are a huge number of other bridges that we could name in honour of other people."

Ah the silent majority which any poltician can conjure up when faced with a revolt of the masses,


Mr Skates said he was more concerned with the removal of tolls over the Second Severn Bridge to ease traffic flow.

But he added the renaming could being economic benefits to Wales.

"It's essential as we exit the EU that we take every opportunity to promote Wales globally.
"It's a fact that few other figures are better known around the world than his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales."

 Does he seriously people believe people will visit Wales in order to cross a bridge named after English royalty,

Mr Skates had egg all over his face for backing the Iron Ring sculpture in Flint which many saw as celebrating the conquest of Wales.
 
 Is it not time we had  an economic secretary, who seems to believe the key to economicsuccess is to turn Wales into a giant English Conquest theme park.

AMs tackled the controversial topic after independent AM Neil McEvoy raised the matter in a question in the Senedd.

He said:

"This isn't an isolated incident, because just some months ago we had the debacle of the so-called 'iron ring' and a celebration of conquest, which so many people found insulting."

Mr Price added:

 "It is part of a deliberate attempt to reintegrate Wales into a nostalgic Britain that probably never existed - a re-colonisation effort."

UKIP Wales leader Neil Hamilton suggested the original Severn Bridge should be named after Owain Glyndwr or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, which was welcomed by Mr Skates.

Which is odd because Mr Skates had pointed out that the bridges were shared by two countries  and there appears to be some opposition over the boarder to the renaming , and we could forgive our English friends for objecting to the first bridge being renamed after a real Welsh Prince,

Conservative AM Russell George said renaming the bridge to mark the prince's 70th birthday and the 60th anniversary of the Queen appointing him as Prince of Wales was a "fitting tribute".



What next  a annual re-enactment of the gruesome   execution of  Dafydd ap Gruffydd the  first person known to have been tried and executed for what from that time onwards would be described as high treason against the King. Edward 1 ensured that Dafydd's death was to be slow and agonising, and also historic; he became the first prominent person in recorded history to have been hanged, drawn and quartered.

Yes call a Gower By-election but lets have on for every seat the Tories cheated,

I would really have some sympathy  with call has been made for Gower Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi to resign and “fight a free and honest by-election” after a Twitter user apologised for making a false allegation about her Conservative predecessor if it would set a precedent and we would see MPs who have over-spent  on their election or lied to the electorate being forced to stand down and face the electorate in a by-election.

Mind you there would be a lot of them

The wasting Mule reports that 
 
During the 2017 election campaign Dan Evans claimed the Tories’ Byron Davies – who won Gower in 2015 by just 27 votes – was under investigation for electoral fraud, which was untrue.

Ms Antoniazzi won the election with a majority of 3,269.
Mr Evans has since made a full apology and admitted he “wanted him to lose”. It is understood he agreed to make a “substantial contribution” to a charity of Mr Davies’s choosing, and to cover the former MP's legal costs.

In a packed House of Commons, Conservative MP Steve Double made the case for a by-election.
He said:

 “Free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy. The Prime Minister, I am sure, will be aware of events that happened in the Gower constituency in last year’s election where the Labour activist Dan Evans is admitting spreading lies and libellous accusations against our former colleague Byron Davies in order to influence the outcome of the election.
“It appears his efforts worked. Does the Prime Minister believe that the leadership of the Labour party need to make very clear that our democracy has no place for this sort of behaviour and does she believe that the honourable thing would be for the new incumbent of that seat to resign and fight a free and honest by-election?”

Prime Minister Theresa May said Mr Davies had

 “lost his job as a result of the action that was taken”.

However, Ms Antoniazzi said that neither she nor her team had acted in a “dishonest manner” and raised concerns for Mr Evans.

She said:

 “I am extremely worried about the news [that] youth worker Dan Evans has been made to pay a considerable amount in damages... The image that Dan Tweeted was not originally posted by him, and he has been punished for his naivety in this matter.
“Dan has a young family to support, [is] on a low salary [and] runs a food bank and supports refugees, and having to pay out significant damages, when common sense should have prevailed and an apology would have been sufficient, is just cruel...
“Dan offered to apologise unequivocally to Byron Davies in public on Twitter, but this was not sufficient for the former MP.”

I doubt that Dan Evans made any difference to the result, but that would not be argument that a rerun should be dismissed.

But the sheer hypocricy of the Tories in calling for a By-election is breathtaking.


An undercover investigation by C4 News, broadcast last , claimed the workers may have been carrying out paid canvassing, banned under electoral law, as they promoted key Conservative messages to undecided voters in the weeks before the election. by using a Neath call centre to canvass voters during the  campaign.

The investigation claimed that calls were made to voters in key marginal seats, including Bridgend, Gower, Clwyd South and Wrexham.
At the start of the election campaign, the information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, contacted all parties to remind them of the law around direct marketing.

 I doubt that Gower in 2017  was influenced by a lone Twitter,but  Gower 2015 may well have had been.

A Conservative party spokesman denied the allegations, saying:

 "Political parties of all colours pay for market research and direct marketing calls.
"All the scripts supplied by the party for these calls are compliant with data protection and information law".

A spokesman for the Information Commissioner's Office said it would take action against any party which had not "followed the law".

He said,

"We will be asking the Conservative Party about the marketing campaigns conducted from this call centre,"

The party has repeatedly denied allegations it exceeded spending limits ahead of the 1915 General Election.

But two activists who worked on the campaign now claim that the party cheated and has since engaged in a cover-up.

Gregg and Louise Kinsell, who volunteered for the Tories in the final few days of the 2015 election campaign in the South West, said funds which the party had declared as national spending were actually spent on local candidates.

The allegations centre on the ‘Battlebus 2015’ campaign, which sent coach-loads of party activists into 29 marginal seats.

Party spending on the battlebuses was declared only in the national election campaign’s expenses.

The Tories insisted the buses were a national event and not used to specifically promote local candidates.

However, the Kinsells said that, while working on the battlebus tours in four key marginal constituencies in the South West, they were specifically tasked with promoting local candidates.

This included being given local briefing papers and seat-specific scripts, being handed specific voter data and distributing local leaflets. Mrs Kinsell told Channel 4 News: 

‘We worked for the local candidates and MPs to ensure that they won their seat and we were sent wherever they thought we would help.’

Mr Kinsell said: ‘If people are saying, and the MPs concerned in these areas are saying it was part of a greater expense nationally for the Conservatives, that is a lie and an obvious falsehood.

‘In that case I feel especially motivated to go to the police and go to the Electoral Commission. They are telling lies about what we did – and we duped people on the doors, it feels like cheating.’

 ‘It has shocked me that they have been this arrogant and think they can get away with it.

‘We were on the bus. We know what happened.

Of course the subsequent  General Election may have ben the reason the Electoral Commission did not continue to pursue it.

But it is a toothless institution and if it was to really act then there would be a spate of By-elections after every General Election until the parties obey the rules or (more likely) hide their wrongdoing more carefully.