Leanne Wood praises the people.and Mrs Windsor (a bit)

Anyone hoping for Leanne Wood to use the debate in the Welsh Assembly Yesterday congratulating the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee. would have been disappointed.


Staunch  Republicans could have hopped for Leanne  to denounce the whole sycophantic rubbish and attack the whole idea of an hereditary Monarch even to go so far as referring to the Queen as Mrs Windsor.


The forelock-tuggers may have been hoping for the same and the headlines through out  the British media denouncing her.


Some may even might have been hoping that she would send her congratulation in glowing terms and then make charges of hypocrisy.


Instead she took a more diplomatic root.Being  courteous, but concentrating her speech  on the contribution ordinary  people have made over the last 60 years.


She announced , 

that she wanted to “place on record my personal and my party’s best wishes to the Queen as she celebrates her 60 years of public service”.

But continued 

“As people thank her for her long reign, we should also remember those mineworkers, steelworkers, soldiers and others who never made it to 60 years of life, let alone 60 years of work.”.....
....“With all the bad news and grim economic predictions, the extra bank holiday will provide people with a welcome opportunity to relax, to forget about our current troubles and to bask in the glow of happy times and hopefully continued warm weather,” she said.“But it could also be an opportunity to rekindle hope. 60 years ago when the Queen began her reign there was rationing.“Many of our cities and towns still stood in the ruins of war, yet a generation rebuilt a society with the blueprint of ambition. With a plan B to hand, so too can we build an economy ravaged not by the tragedy of war, but by the travesty of greed.“We honour today an older generation whose gift to us was the society they built through a lifetime of commitment.”

Part of me would have liked to have seen a outright condemnation  of the whole appalling sycophantic drivel we have been forced to watch over the last year as we build up to this bank holiday, and we will have still the coronation anniversary next year.


But I also realise that a Political leader should be diplomatic and yesterday was probably not the time to condemn the idea of hereditary Monarchy.


Perhaps the main issue is that whereas Lords, MP's MSP and AM's can take part in a debate praising the role of the Monarchy .They are not allowed  to hold a debate questioning its role or whether we should indeed have one.


So maybe Leanne managed to carry out a leadership role and didn't fall into the trap that the forelock-tuggers ,had hoped she would whilst not depressing those of us who don't want to see a former firebrand be sucked into the establishment  to much.


The battleground  for Republicans against the establishment of the forelock-tuggers and the media is never promising but yesterday was probably not one even to consider being  even more stacked against Leanne and the rest of us . She was wise not to fight it.


But we still need her to give a lead and I hope that she will still continue to speak out against the whole idea that someone is born to rule even if they carry it out well.

30/30 Vision doesn't make sense.

The current proposal  (or consultation) by  Welsh Secretary (for now) Cheryl Gillian , to change the boundaries of the Welsh Assembly to bring them in line with those 30 constituency seats proposed for the Westminster Parliament  (down from 40) could result in a total farce.


The Plan is to mirror the proposed  Westminster Constituencies of 30 seats ant have the other 30 AM's elected on the Additional Member System


Of course this depends on the Westminster changes coming about.


What would happen if it's decided Wales should have 28 or 32 seats? Is  anyone guess and even if (as is likely) the changes go through. We could see Wales  being allocated extra seats, ten  years on from the election due to demographic changes .


A rough estimate based on the Local Council elections  assessment could see the  Assembly  Constituency Seats falling in this manner 


Plaid 2/4 Current 5
Lib Dems 01/  current 1

Cons 0/2 Current 6

Lab 24/26 Current 28

So despite  a loss of 10 constituency seats Labour will comfortably be in a lead here .

The Topup seats  are more difficult.. The system is not truly proportional.

However:

Assuming Labour get around 44% of the vote  Con and Plaid between about 20% each  LibDems 8% and others 8%

This could see the allocation for the top up could be

Plaid 8/12

Con 8/12

LibDem 2/3

Lab 2/4

Other 2/3 

The Polls may change dramatically on the next couple ot years and it is not impossible for Labour to win all 30 constituency seats ;But 28 is clearly not beyond their aspiration.

Where will leave the other Parties with only 2 Constituency seats . Labour will argue that they have no real mandate. One Party will hold nearly all the Constituency seats could  and even fail to get any Top up seats.

Supposing then Labour were denied power by a Grand Coalition which mainly consisted of AM's elected under the Top up system. Much as I'm no fan of Labour Hegemony in Wales. I would feel very uncomfortable with a Government comprising of AM's mainly from regional seats.

But  I would feel equally uncomfortable with a system as proposed by Peter Hain of 30 seats of two members elected under the first past the . Which could se Labour winnining over 50 of the 60 seats with less than 50% of the vote.

It will come as no surprise that I see STV as the solution what worries me is that the Parties in the Assembly that claim to support this system have not vigorously argued for in the Senedd. 

Perhaps Plaid and the LibDems should unite on this and start a All party campaign for STV for Wales?

We are not going to get change if we accept 30/30 as a done deal.

Labour AM defends Translation decision (Sort of).

The recent argument over the Western Mule on the cost of Translation in the Assembly as resulted in the sort of debate/argument the Mule intended.

Ie Anti Welsh Language comments

There  were however some god Blogs on this topic . Most simply accusif the Mule of trying to create controversy to raise circulation. but Alwyn ap Huw who doesn't blog often enough in my opinion (and I don't always agree with him) put foward a clear argument for language equality in his Miserable Old Fart Blog.

He writes 

...

The very word bilingual suggests something to do with TWO languages so any perceived cost of bilingualism should, surely, be shared between BOTH languages. A monolingual transcript of Assembly proceedings, in either language, would have a price tag attached. So how much of the £400K bilingual waste of money is actually being spent on JUST the Welsh Language?
Does English come free of charge?

Indeed when AM ignore the pressure of relating to the Media by speaking in Welsh in the Senedd. Does the Mule suggest the transcript should only be in Welsh or maybe they think it should be transcribed in English immediately and there should only  be a heading that the words were originally in Welsh?

The response of the Labour Dinosaur from Torfaen  Paul Murphy  MP was to be expected but the real disappointment for me was that od Labour Assembly Member Ken Skates who was one of the AM shamed by the Mule for supporting the Translation services.


Despite the Mule portraying him and the AMs as if they were a criminal gang.He chose not to vigorously condemn the Mule but yo call for debate But then they probably wouldn't have published it .




Here's the original headline.

At First glance I thought they were found guolty of Drug Smuggling f something

In in his response in the Mail.Skates, does not attack the Mules shoddy Journalism or defend his and other AMs actions. Rather he choses to suck up to the Mule, by claiming it opened debate!

He wrote.....

Rarely since being elected last year have I witnessed such an intense and impassioned response to a newspaper article.In part it reflected the emotive nature of the subject matter, an issue some media outlets have been tentative to scrutinise for fear of alienating either readers or viewers..I was one of the Assembly Members criticised and pictured on the Western Mail’s front page because I was one of the committee members who approved the increase in resources which will ensure a fully bilingual record of proceedings can be produced for the people of Wales.It will come as no surprise, therefore, that I disagree with the editorial comment and the views expressed by the paper. However, I strongly support the Western Mail in its duty and responsibility to hold politicians to account and to scrutinise the impact of their decisions, no matter how cherished or sacred the subject matter. The committee’s decision was based on unanimous cross-party support, but such a united political consensus does not negate the need for alternative views to be expressed, or for debate to be opened up to wider Welsh society.

What a pathetic attempt in a response to inaccurate and vindictive attack on Welsh Language provisions.

The Western Mule has not been responsible but inflammatory and the argument about open debate sounds a lot like those who call for "An open Debate on Immigration".

How can we have an open debate when we have no real diverse Media in Wales and the lead paper for Trinity Mirror who control much of the media makes such an attack? Whose there to give an alternative journalism?

Ken Skates either believes in a equal bilingual Wales or he doesn't. But he should say where he stands and not defend a Media that created a story to sell more newspapers.

Would he have been so keen to defend the SUN for putting an offensive and inaccurate attack on Immigrants on its front page saying that it promotes debate?

Olympics and Jubilee It's a going to be long, hot and annoying Summer.

I imagine those who read this Blog, are the sort who are already fed up with the Olympic Torch Relay being endlessly portrayed as news. When its little more than an advert for  the BBC coverage of the event.


There has been very little coverage however of those hostile to the London Olympics. Which has  seen scarce resources and money being diverted to the English capital or the high number who are indifferent. Particularly in the Sports like Sailing, Rowing and Cycling. Which will get a great deal of coverage  simply because they are the sports  in which the UK athletes  are expected to get most of their Gold Medals


A BBC spokeswoman on yesterdays BBC Breakfast programme claimed that the cooperation was responding to public interest in showing this non-news constantly . Where in fact they were they through their over coverage  were initially creating the interest in much the same way Simon Callow creates interest in the mediocre talents who appear on his shows.


Let the Hype create the story then the public interest will follow. 


Similarly we are being bombarded with adverts on the BBC to promote the Jubilee.


Constantly we are told that "We are all supporting the Jubilee" whilst it is not true.and the voice of the indifferent and that of the those who are openly opposed to the event are almost totally ignored.


A recent Guardian report claimed...

While the silver jubilee in 1977 had angry young anti-monarchist punks on the Thames and at Alexandra Palace hosted a "people's jubilee" event, this year for the diamond jubilee the royal family will be cheered down the river on barges while a "right royal" picnic is planned at the "people's palace".
It's left an awful lot of British anti-monarchists – anything from 22% to 50% of the population, according to recent polls – wondering where the dissent has gone.

Well partly because the Media are ignoring any opposition to the Event the article points out part of the problem.

One primary school headteacher in the south-west of England told the Observer:

 "My staff and I had agreed to discuss the jubilee with the children but we'd decided it was not really something it was appropriate for a school to celebrate. But a couple of parents started planning events and bringing in bunting and we felt quite pressurised.

And that's the problem.What would the reaction to Parents putting up republican messages?


How can Republicans put forward their views when virtually all the Media and the rest of the Establishment are promoting this.


The other day I needed to call in several retail outfits in Talbot Green and took the opportunity to approach a member of staff who looked like Management and say.

"I see you've got a lot of jubilee merchandise on display. Are you also catering for the significant number of us who are opposed to the Monarchy? Is there part of the store where I can buy Republican goods?"

You be shocked to know all seem to have failed to take up this potential lucrative opportunity.


With the Olympics the Jubilee and the European Football which will see as being told we should support the England team. I may end up the fittest I've ever been having to spend my days walking in the Welsh Mountains to avoid it al.

Leyla Zana continues to be persecuted by Turkish Government.

The Blog Nationalia  by Ciemen which covers news of National Movements and Stateless Nations carries a report that Kurdish MP Leyla Zana has again been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of terrorism, Zana has been sentenced by a criminal court in Amed (Diyarbakir in Turkish). Judges consider that some speeches delivered by Zana in 2007 and 2008 prove that she is a member of the banned organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Zana's lawyer Fethi Gümüş rejected the charges and argued that if she had been a member of PKK she couldn't have been elected in Turkey's legislative election in 2011.

The Kurdish politician will not enter prison while she is a member of the Turkish Parliament, a post that grants immunity. Next legislative election in Turkey is set for 2015.

I have blogged on ZAna and the Kurdish stuggle  before and reported that While taking the oath of loyalty in  a previous parliament, she  caused an uproar  after adding the following sentence in Kurdish to her parliamentary oath during the swearing-in ceremony in 1994:

"I take this oath for the brotherhood of the Turkish and Kurdish peoples".

Imagine  a Plaid MP adding this to the Oath of Loyality in Westminster or an AM in Cardiff. The Tabloid press may have gone to town and call for their expulsion . But that would be it. 


Because of her stand  in March 1994, the Turkish Parliament voted to lift the immunity of Zana and five other Kurdish DEP members: and they  were sentenced to 15 years in jail by the Supreme Court.

In 2001 the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Turkey after a review of her trial; although Turkey did not recognize the result, in 2003 a new harmonization law permitted retrials based on ECHR decisions. In 2002, a film named The Back of the World, directed by Spanish-Peruvian filmmaker Javier Corcuera, examined her case. In April 2004, in a trial which the defendants frequently boycotted, their convictions and sentences were reaffirmed. In June 2004, after a prosecutor requested quashing the prior verdict on a technicality, the High Court of Appeals ordered Zana and the others released.

Since then she has constantly charged with offenses that we would have regarded as quite legitimate or simply controversial but part of free speech in our own democracy.

I don't know Leyla Zana position of the terrorist action of the PKK but then I don't accept that the Turkish Government does either..

The Kurds are the probably the most ignored peoples of the World . Denied their Home state largely due to British interferometry in the middle East. They may have virtual Independence in Iraq but cannot declare it because Turkey the ally of the Western Powers oppose this .

It is a disgrace that Turkey is using anti-terrorism  laws to silence the Democtatic voice of the Kurdish people and the UK government should tell Turkey that this is unacceptable behaviour ob behald of a susposedly democracy.

Labour will always betray us..

Those of you who remember the Peanuts Cartoon will recall that, time after time Charlie Brown, though he constantly had his doubts eventually succumbed to once again try and kick the football only for Lucy to remove it.


There is a comparison to the average Labour Voter in Wales.Time and time again .They head for the polling station with the knowledge that Labour have always let them down. Only to put their mark for the Labour Candidate.


Then in a very short time it becomes clear that Labour have taken the ball away and are betraying those who have trusted them.


I'm sure many of those who voted Labour in the last Local Government elections will feel betrayed this time next year when in response to Westminster Cuts they will ask "How deep "whilst at the same time claim to be fighting them.


But when the elections come along  again they will like Charlie Brown believe that this time they will get what they want .


They will still fall for assurances from Unison Leader Andy Richards that.


 “There is only one party for the working people of Wales, the party that the trade unions founded to give a voice to working people – the Labour Party. This is why it is called the Labour Party,” .


He aimed this at Leanne Wood's attempt to claim that Plaid also aimed to give a voice for working People and to form a progressive alliance.


We will see whether unlike Charlie Brown the Welsh electorate really have a choice from someone offering to allow them to achieve their dreams.


Leanne Wood may not be the answer to Andy (Lucy) Richards. She and Plaid may well let us down those who trusted them but isn't it time we realised the other option will always  betray us?

Rail Electrification . It's not going to happen is it.

Welsh Secretary (For Now) used her Satnav to find Cardiff Bay and and turned up  yesterday to address the Assembly where she in a similar role to a Governor General to a token colonial Parliament explained to a somewhat cynical senedd of the merits of the Queen's  speach talking about infrastructure investment Wales,

Ms Gillan was loudly mocked by Labour AMs (Who used to lower their heads in respect when Peter Hain was Governor General) for referring to “how hard I fought for the electrification of the railway line down to Cardiff”.

She added, to jeers: “I can assure you that I am fighting very hard to make sure that the Prime Minister’s statement that we intend to electrify the Valleys Lines comes to fruition.”

However despite this clear assurance she said "the UK Government must see a business case before it could electrify the main London-Swansea railway line". So don't hold your breath.

The UK Government announced plans to electrify the Great Western line as far as Cardiff last year but the Welsh Government now no longer feeling they can't criticise a Labour Welsh Secretary wants the project to go further west to Swansea and into the Valleys..

Mrs Gillan told AMs she was still continuing to press the case for electrification of the line to Swansea, but warned AMs that “you can't just go ahead on a whim”.


One wonders what's been happening  over the last decades since Electrification of the Railways have taken place .


Has there been case where a line has been electrified and there has been no resultant improvement ?




There have been calls for Electrification before and throughout the last Labour Government wasn't a business case made or was it simply assumed that it was bleeding obvious that electrification that taking the Line to Cardiff and Swansea would benefit both Cities?


Mind you if I had been Cheryl Gillian I had turned on Labour AM's and asked them? 


"Why wasn't electrification carried out when Paul Murphy  and Peter Hain were doing my Job in the 13 years Labour were in power from 1997-2010?"


It seems that two years of the Con/LibDem government has  completely  wiped out the memories of the complete failure of Labour to improve the transport infrastructure  in Wales (and the rest of the UK). 


Thirteenyears of wasted opportunity because Wales was not seen as important when it came to marginal seats as Labour courted "Middle England"


Can any one from Labour truly say that if they had won in 2010 and even if the economy wasn't in meltdown.They would have implemented the sort of electrification of the South Wales they are now calling for. Or would they  simply assume the loyalty of the Welsh People  when it comes to votes and feel there would be no need carry out any promises?