Labour and Tories sing from same Hymn Book

Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards  was ahead of the game at Wednesday PMQ's to ask Prime Minister David Cameron Cameron this question:

"Thatcher said that her greatest achievement was new Labour. Given the treacherous decision to commit to Tory spending plans, is the prime minister's greatest achievement one-nation Labour?"
Mr Cameron's brief response? "I hope I can do better than that."

And Lo and behold! Labour leader Ed Miliband  yesterday  pledged to cap the overall welfare bill in a clear  bid to regain the upper hand in the benefits debate. By copying the Tories in demonising tose reeving welfare and perpetuating the impression who are long term unemployed do not want to work.Something that goes down well with Middle England 

Mr Miliband said the public's faith in the system had been "shaken" and that Labour had not done enough to tackle rising incapacity benefit costs while in power.

He promised to cut housing costs, crackdown on low pay and make people work for longer before getting jobseeker's allowance in a bid to ease the burden on the taxpayer.

Those in workless households and single parents should also be obliged to attend Jobcentre interviews and undertake training while their children are getting free nursery education, he added.

This went down well with Rhondda Labour MP Chris Bryant who tweeted.

Chris Bryant ‏@ChrisBryantMPnowReally pleased with significant week for Labour. Still lots to do, but important messages on fiscal probity and mutually fair welfare.

It seems Bryant may be abandoning those in constituency  who are long term unemployed through no fault of their own .

Where are the Jobs in the Rhondda Mr Miliband?

Manufacturing jobs are non existent and what there are ore often on short term contracts and through Agencies.

It is unbelievable that we now have the three major parties in the UK all intent on blaming the cost of welfare on the recipients not  their own failed polices.

A recent Channel 4 political spot  saw a Ukip member claiming Labour MPs  are out of touch with the Working Class and then calling for a end to membership of the EU and attacking Immigration

If Labour continue to abandon ots traditional vote to pursue 2Middle England" then it leaves itself open cynical exploitation by right wing parties .like Ukip who may largely consist of  Tories backwoodsmen but that won't stop them going for  a discontented working class vote.

Labour and the Tories now sing  if not from the same Hymn Sheet the same Hymn Book. 

We may have a alternative here in Wales and Scotland if not with the SNP then the Scottish Socialist  and Greens.

But with no left alternative in England there's a frighting  prospect of people turning to the right  even parties led like Ukip  consisting of  people who have no intention of representing their interest

Assembly Opposition Attacking In Unison?

The Wasting Mule reports that that The Welsh Government has been forced to make a U-turn and agree to make the pay of council chief executives subject to an independent regulator.

Opposition parties at the National Assembly had threatened to vote down the  Local Government Democracy (Wales) Bill. if the Government didn’t drop its opposition to a change in top local government officers’ pay arrangements.

The issue has become highly controversial since  it was revealed last December a scandal involving huge secret pay rises awarded to senior managers at Caerphilly council following recommendations made by chief executive Anthony O’Sullivan.

Mr O’Sullivan’s own salary rose from £132,000 to £158,000 after the increases were approved by a committee of one Plaid Cymru and four Labour councillors.

A The Mule reports that a further  20 senior managers also received substantial pay rises, but the bulk of the council’s staff were on the third year of a pay freeze.

The rises were rescinded in January after a public outcry, and under a compromise, Mr O’Sullivan’s increase went down from £26,000 to £5,000.
The chief executive was suspended in March on full pay after a report from the Assistant Auditor General for Wales, Anthony Barrett, said various aspects of the pay award were unlawful.
Opposition parties have in recent months been calling for the fixing of chief executives’ pay to be taken out of the hands of individual local authorities and taken over by an independent remuneration panel of the kind that already sets pay for AMs and councillors.

Next Tuesday is the deadline for amendments to the Local Government Democracy (Wales) Bill.

Plaid Cymru local government spokesman Rhodri Glyn Thomas  welcomed the Government’s change of heart.

He said: “This will be a positive step forward. It cannot be right that some low-paid council workers are denied a living wage while the pay of council chief officers continues to rise.
“And it is ludicrous, for example, that the chief executives of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire councils are paid more than the chief executive of Swansea council.
“It has become increasingly clear in recent months that the people of Wales support Plaid Cymru’s attempts to bring senior officer pay under control.
“Senior pay is currently set individually by each local authority. This results in 22 different pay policies existing across Wales, despite councils being told to collaborate on a range of issues.”

The interesting here may ne that the opposition parties seem to be acting in unison as they did  recently over the proposed "downgrading" of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.

Plaid supporters may be loath to see the party apparently working with the Tories but in both cases the cause is a right one.

Labour who are still relying on voters  blaming  everything on the Westminster coalition seem content to do nothing in the Assembly passing health reforms to the local Welsh Boards (in the case of the Royal Glamorgan etc) and then denying responsibility.

Or Carwyn Jones  giving us a yearly progress on his Governments progress which appears which is a mass of statics but where his government set  no targets.

The whole of the Assembly need to shake of its lethargy and if this means the Opposition parties increasingly attack together . So be it.

Apparently Plaid are shroud waving, whilst Labour are standing up for Constituents.

First Ministers Questions in the National Assembly  are usually a lacklustre affair  largely because of the lack of power . So any real argument tends to be based on Education or the NHS.

But like the Prime Minister Carwyn Jones usually fails to answer any question directly.

But Yesterday Carwyn , came a cropper over whether senior members of his own party are claiming an A&E department could close in an NHS shake-up.

Carwyn claimed that Plaid Cymru misled the assembly the assembly by saying A&E at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital could close.

He said it was untrue to suggest A&E would be lost...

Responding to Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood's comments during first minister's questions Mr Jones said:

 "She has said something that is untrue, misleading and wrong.

"She said that A&E services would be lost. That is untrue."
"She said that A&E services would be lost. That is untrue."

 But the Conservative AM  Darren Miller argued Labour htat Labour AMs and MPs s had also used terms like "disappearing" and "closing".

The day after the proposals were announced, four senior Labour figures including Education Minister Leighton Andrews and Shadow Welsh Owen Smith staged a photocall outside the hospital with placards reading "Labour says keep A&E at Royal Glam""

Mr Miler asked the first Minister.

"You have just accused Leanne Wood of misleading the assembly in respect of emergency services.
"Do you agree that your Labour colleagues, including a member of your own cabinet are also misleading the assembly, if you use the same yardstick?
"Because in a press release, Leighton Andrews says A&E services are 'disappearing' from the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, and Chris Bryant has described the A&E department there as 'closing'.
"Do you condemn their shroud-waving in the same way that you have condemned shroud-waving before in this assembly when people scaremonger about the future of services in local hospitals?"

Mr Jones responded:

 "Chris Bryant is not a government minister, last time I looked. What is being suggested by the party opposite (Plaid Cymru) is that A&E services will completely disappear.

So what did they say ?

Labour Rhondda MP Chris Bryant said about the consultation:

 "I hope that the health board will see sense and realise that closing an accident and emergency unit at a hospital that is only 13 years old and accessible to both the communities in the Rhondda and Pontypridd is not the best use of NHS resources."

And Carwyn of course is correct Chris Bryant is a MP not an AM .

Leighton Andrews however is not only an AM but a senior member of Carwyn's cabinet

Mr Andrews responded to the proposals after the announcement by saying: 

"Safer and more reliable services have to be the priority but if accident and emergency services disappeared from the Royal Glamorgan hospital then most Rhondda people would have to travel to Cardiff, which would overburden services there."

It sems Leanne Wood condemning these proposals is "Shroud Waving"  whilst Leighton Andrews condemning them is voicing legitimate concerns on behalf of his constituents.

I have some sympathy for these Labour members if it is decided to take some A&E  and Maternity services from the Royal Glamorgan the public are going to take it out of them at Election time.

With Leanne Wood, choosing to stand against him Mr Andrews in particular must be worried..

But with an opposition united on this and Labour not having  a majority hes going to find it hard to rebel if the proposals are carried out and the opposition call for a vote of no confidence.

All the opposition parties will take advantage of this . But I suspect a bitter war with Plaid in particular and Labour trying to split the campaign against this and present themselves as the only party that can stop the proposals .

However I also suspect they will find this problematic . They won't be able to blame this one on the Westminster coalition the electorate will know whose in charge, whose  to blame and who to punish. 

Tories clean up politics by largely attacking Unions

The Tories and they LibDem allies  seem to have decided to use the latest cash for question scandal as a means to curb the Trade Unions further and cut of finding for the Labour party.


Under the new proposals, unions will be required to carry out an annual audit of their membership and demonstrate that the figures they produce are accurate. 

The Certification Officer will be given the power to conduct investigations into the numbers produced, which are vital when ballots on strike action are conducted.

And unions appear to be the main target of the proposed changes to third-party election campaign funding, which will apply to organisations affiliated to political parties as those making major donations of more than £100,000.

I am no fan of Trade Union funding of Labour,  it often enrages me to see Trade Unions backing a Party that spent 11 years  of power doing virtual y nothing for working people . And I would much prefer greater say by the membership of whether a MP or candidate should receive their backing ,

Members should also opt in to the political fund (which largely goes to Labour) rather than opt out.

However much of the proposed legislation seems to have nothing to so with Cash for Questions but to weaken the Unions hand when it comes to Industrial Action,

Unions appear to be the main target of the proposed changes to third-party election campaign funding, which will apply to organisations affiliated to political parties as those making major donations of more than £100,000.

The reforms will claim it will  see  the true value of activities such as leaflet-printing is reflected when judging whether parties have breached the £19 million cap on campaign spending in the year before a general election, said No 10.

One of the argument is that some third Parties print leaflets for Labour and charge them less than the actual cost

When calculating the campaign spending they must declare, organisations such as unions would have to include not only the cost of printing a leaflet but also overheads such as staffing and rent on premises - which could potentially inflate the figure considerably

However I can't  see any reference to  shareholders being asked to approve political donations.

Nor is there a limit to Individual donations. Which largely  benefit the Tories but which Labour have benefited from in power and led to accusations that the parties were virtually selling peerage and Knighthoods. 

As I have stated I find the Trade Unions support for Labour exasperating.

One of the nominations prospective Westminster candidate for Ceredigion  is  chair of their  Unison branch which is affiliated to Labour another is Chair of his branch of PCS (which isn't)

If selected imagine how the former  feel when they see his  union HQ backing a Labour candidate. 

However it is a disgrace that the Tories are using this latest scandal to attack funding for Labour when ignoring the contributions to their own coffers.

They are trying to use to use this for their own political advantage  and destroys any faith in their intentions to clean up politics.

Clegg: Gives us credit for good news forget the bad.

Subordinate Central has  posted a  message from Nick Clegg  saying 

“It won’t be easy: there will be bumps and scrapes along the way.”


He goes on to say;

That’s what I said three years ago, in the joint press conference David Cameron and I gave on the first day of this coalition government. And as you’ll have noticed, some weeks are more bumpy and scrapy than others!
Some times we have fierce disagreements that leave people on both sides deeply frustrated. But given that this coalition is formed of two political parties with many widely differing beliefs and policies, that’s not exactly remarkable.
What I believe is remarkable is the resilience of this government, and the amount – bumps and scrapes notwithstanding – that we have achieved so far. We’ve shown that when it comes down to the real business of government, like creating jobs, balancing the budget and helping with the cost of living, we can act like grown ups and get things done.
From enabling people to earn a full £10,000 before they start paying income tax to helping create over a million new jobs, from investing billions in our schools to expanding apprenticeships on an unprecedented scale, this government has a record to be proud of.

So tell us the god news Nick

What about?

The "Bedroom Tax" which see single people either seeing huge cuts in their benefits  or seek single room accommodation which is non existent in some areas.

Setting up tribunals to access whether people on sickness benefits are eligible for work in some cases seeing people taken off these benefits only to die a shortly after or Opel finding the agency that deals with them do not have wheelchair access.

Cutting funding to local authorities which means they have no option to cut jobs , wages or services.

Seeing the well off, getting a Tax rebate  when you should be looking at executive pay.

Why do LibDem press releases only take credit for  "enabling people to earn a full £10,000 " and not the measures that  are seeing the already poorer members of our society having to go to food banks in order to eat.

Stanley Baldwin (on a suggestion by Kipling ) once said of the press:

"What the proprietorship of these papers is aiming at is power, and power without responsibility — the prerogative of the harlot through the ages".

It seems that the LibDems have no real power and take little responsibility - the prerogative they have enjoyed in the political memory of most electors for decades. Which has not changed even when they are in government.

MPs and Lords for sale.

MP Patrick Mercer who  has resigned the Tory whip to "save my party embarrassment" after claims by the BBC's Panorama that he broke Parliament's lobbying rules. has a  interesting past.

In 2010 he was  alleged to have abandoned Sarah Coyle, a House of Commons secretary, after she spent thousands on furnishings for the Hertfordshire property..

It is alleged he accepted £4,000 to lobby for business interests in Fiji.

Mr Mercer said he was taking legal advice and had referred himself to Parliament's standards commissioner.

The Newark MP said he took the money for consultancy work outside parliament. He added he would not be standing at the next general election.

The fake company, Alistair Andrews Communications, had claimed to lobby on behalf of Fijian business interests for Fiji to be re-admitted to the Commonwealth.Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteIf it's bad enough for you to resign from your party, how can it be OK to continue representing constituents at all? ”Zac GoldsmithConservative MPThe country's membership was suspended in 2009 amid criticism of its human rights' record and lack of democracy.
A clip of Mr Mercer being filmed undercover has been released by Panorama. It shows the MP meeting with an undercover reporter, who was posing as a representative of the fake company.
Mr Mercer can be heard saying: "I do not charge a great deal of money for these things. I would normally come out at £500 per half day, so £1,000 a day."
The undercover reporter replies: "Ok fine.

As jaxxlander points out  this  would have led to moves to recall Mercer who has said he would stand down in 2015 under under  proposals were originally included in the coalition agreement but  which seemed to have been put on the back burner.

Still he has jumped rather than pushed but has saved Cammeron a embarrassing byelection by clinging on to  2015 . In the same manner as Eric Joyce  who has  resigned the Labour Wgip after numerous incidents allegedly fuelled by alcohol saves Labour leader Ed Miliband the  possibility of a SNP victory in Falkirk.

Still at least the public can have a say at elections if they decide to stand after all.

What can the General Public do about T the Three Peers One Ulster Unionist  and  two Labour - were caught offering to ask parliamentary questions and lobby ministers in return for cash. who are believed to have referred themselves to the watchdog.

We can't recall them, They have no electorate to answer to and probably wil not be expelled from the House.

But the worrying thing is How many MPs and Lords are on the take? Asking Questions not on behalf of their Constituents or the UK in general but because some one has paid them to do so.

We need a registration of Lobbyists  but also a means of removing elected  from the Parliament or Assemblies if they have betrayed their position in such a way as the BBC-Telegraph "Sting" appears to show,

Party Websites in Wales

I thought I'd look at the various Party websites as I haven't looked at them for a while. I've tried to be objective  but clearly can't lose my leanings altogether.

Welsh Labour .
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Have improved their Welsh Language context and seems almost duly bilingual however English is Highlighted and  in red  whilst Welsh is reduced to a drab grey.. Reasonable easy to use though unexciting . Up to date but one would expect more from a party in government  6/10

Welsh Liberal Democrats .

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Why they bother with a Cymraeg button is beyond me all it does is gibe you the same page as the English one only with the headlines in Welsh ,  Up to date but its main headline is their claim that they have given people a £700 tax break and concentrate the rest on the NHS in Wales. Hardly worth a visit. 5/10

Welsh Conservatives .

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Seems to be almost monolingual  has an interesting split between UK  (all good) and Welsh (all bad) . Main news is a PPC Candidate for Cardiff North  apparently visiting the constituency and telling people that they are cracking down on Immigration again hardly worth looking at except to check what the bastards are up to. 3/10


Plaid.

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Wins hands down fully bilingual to the extent that you virtually have a a choice of two websites one in Welsh one in English. Packed with Information though it may daunt a casual visitor .  Perhaps it should  look at improving local government pages more . 8/10

Welsh Ukip.

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 It sums itself when it calls itself the website of the United Kingdom Independence Party in Wales. Simply carries UK news . Not worth it (even to see what these  bbastards  are up to1/10

Welsh Greens.

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At least carries some news  though needs updating needs to get someone to translate into Welsh  but  if you have worries over some issues like the Severn Barrage , Fracking or Incinerator plant  then might be worth while looking at 4/10

All in all Labour has shown some Improvement Plaid are still streets ahead whilst the other Parties ned to shape up.