Labour The Party That Failed Wales

There is an argument that Labour ,are the true "Party of Wales" in that their hegemony  at all levels of Welsh government , has been largely unchallenged since after World War 1

And since  the formation of the National Assembly they have led devolved government here .

Bit  that does not mean that criticising "Welsh" Labour  is the same as putting down Wales.

But it seems that's what Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith. seems to believe

According to the Wasting Mule.

  A “war on Wales” led by Conservatives in the UK Government is harming the nation’s reputation across Britain and around the world, according to Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith.
The Labour Pontypridd MP is writing to David Cameron to express his concerns about the impact of high-profile criticism of Welsh infrastructure and health services.
In recent weeks the Prime Minister has attacked the Welsh Labour Government’s record on NHS waiting times and Education Secretary Michael Gove has blasted the performance of Welsh schools.

He said:

“In recent meetings with Welsh business leaders I was worried to hear their stark warnings that the constant public undermining of Wales, from the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues, risks tarnishing our reputation across the UK and internationally. It is little wonder that the attacks on Wales co-ordinated by the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Wales are starting to have an impact on business confidence.

“Over recent months it has become increasingly apparent that the Tories have given up on winning in Wales at the 2015 General Election or standing up for our interests. Instead they are content to subject Wales to a wellspring of negativity for narrow political ends.

“Just last week David Jones used a platform at [the] Policy Forum for Wales to yet again run-down Wales. He drew false comparisons between Welsh rail infrastructure and that of Albania, damned our broadband internet connectivity and bizarrely described the infrastructure network as obsolete. The Prime Minister’s deeply offensive branding of Offa’s Dyke as a ‘line between life and death’ shamefully demeans his office and he maintains this theme almost weekly at Prime Minister’s Questions. Fifty-four percent of British people will have seen or heard PMQs in the last 12 months and it is beamed to the USA and across the world.

 Eurfyl ap Gwilym, a Plaid Cymru-supporting economist said it was “fairly cynical” of Labour to “turn attacks on the record of the Welsh Government into attacks on Wales”.

He said: “

The performance of the Welsh Government in some areas does need to be criticised, it needs to be scrutinised effectively as well; they need to respond and say what they are going to do to make things better, and I think that’s perfectly legitimate.”

Warning against being “too sensitive,” he said:

 “If there’s poor performance anywhere we should be ready to accept criticism.”

He acknowledged it would not be “helpful” if the only headlines about Wales in the UK press are negative but said: 

“I’m sure Owen Smith will do his best now to exaggerate the impact of that criticism.”

And that's the point Clearly Cameron's attack on the running of the NHS and Education in Wales  is to use it as as an example of what would happen in England if Labour would the next General Election.

But it is an attack on Labour in Wales and it is the Job of Own Smith to defend his Party record here.  If he can.

I started this piece by saying that maybe Labour are the true "Pary of Wales".

In reality they are  

The Party that Failed Wales"

Their lethargy in power in the Assembly and failure to come to grips with the challenges facing Wales and recently  simply hoping people will blame the Westminster Government have led them open to the attacks from Cameron and his cronies.

Both sides are cynically using Wales in the General Election Phoney War.

Both sides are damaging the future of  Wales and its time we give them both the boot.

Leighton Andrews on Beeb's snobbery.

Many will find sympathy with  former  Assembly Minister  former Minister  who in the words of the Wasting Mule has launched a stinging attack on BBC discussion programmes like Question Time – labelling them “Westminster-biased, ignorant and metro-centric” and accusing them of failing to understand Welsh affairs.

 Andrews said while BBC news output had made some improvements to its devolved news output, panel shows such as TV’s Question Time and radio’s Any Questions? suffered from an “inherent Westminster bias” and refuse to invite Welsh Ministers or Assembly Members other than the First Minister out of “snobbery”.has launched a stinging attack on BBC discussion programmes like Question Time – labelling them “Westminster-biased, ignorant and metro-centric” and accusing them of failing to understand Welsh affairs.

Leighton Andrews said while BBC news output had made some improvements to its devolved news output, panel shows such as TV’s Question Time and radio’s Any Questions? suffered from an “inherent Westminster bias” and refuse to invite Welsh Ministers or Assembly Members other than the First Minister out of “snobbery”.A former Minister has launched a stinging attack on BBC discussion programmes like Question Time – labelling them “Westminster-biased, ignorant and metro-centric” and accusing them of failing to understand Welsh affairs.

 Andrews said while BBC news output had made some improvements to its devolved news output, panel shows such as TV’s Question Time and radio’s Any Questions? suffered from an “inherent Westminster bias” and refuse to invite Welsh Ministers or Assembly Members other than the First Minister out of “snobbery”.

The Rhondda Labour AM said that despite being gaining a national profile through cross-border controversies with Education Secretary Michael Gove, he was never asked to go on any edition of either of the Corporation’s flagship discussion programmes despite being put forward by Labour.

He also said Scotland was better represented on BBC discussion programmes as Scottish issues were seen as “more sexy” than Welsh issues.

Asked if AMs were being snubbed due to snobbery, Mr Andrews said: “Yes. I think they’re Westminster-biased. I think they are ignorant. I think they are metro-centric. I think they have a hard time understanding what goes on beyond the M25. Specifically, Any Questions and Question Time.

Now there's a suspicion of "Pick Me Pick Me"  here but Andrews has a point.

Question time  when it comes from inside wales has appalling record partly due to its reluctance to invite Welsh Politicians let alone AM and Dimberbly as does his brother on the radio's "Any Question" conducts a patronising  attitude  towards  anyone who attempts to slant the topic towards Wales.

I suspect part of the problem is that the BBC are of the opinion that people outside Wales are not really aware that areas like the NHS and Education are now the responsibility of the Assembly and that "English" rules apply.

But part of this is the Beebs fault when they do not make it clear that statement from  Westminster Ministers do not apply in Wales as with Gove's "British Values " in Schools rubbish which give the impression this applied to the whole UK.

Indeed often a distinction often is only made when the Westminster Government and the Media wishes to compare the NHS and Education in Wales in a bad light/.

I doubt that the inclusion of our AM on Question time will improve that programme which is usually bloody awful anyway.

But at least it will give people here some idea whose running things in Wales and get some idea of their capability.

On the other hand maybe Welsh Labour in particular may not be to keen for people to see how those in power her preform. 

Senior Welsh LibDem councillor defects to Labour

Bad news for  Liberal Democrats as one of thier most prominent councillors in Wales has defected to Labour.

Mike Priestley, a Cabinet member on Conwy council,  which is a coalition of Independents  Labour Plaid amd the Liberal Democrats said in a letter to residents that he had been “struggling personally” with the Liberal Democrats nationally since they went into coalition with the Conservatives four years ago, finding himself becoming more distant from their policies.

He said:

 “I am a former trade union branch chairman and I feel like I am coming back to my roots.
“As both a councillor and a Cabinet member, I have had the privilege of working alongside the First Minister Carwyn Jones. Under his leadership, Labour in Wales is delivering real help for Conwy. Working alongside Ed Miliband as Prime Minister in 2015 there is real hope for the future.”

First Minister Carwyn Jones said:

 “It is a pleasure to welcome Mike to Welsh Labour. We know he is someone who cares deeply about his local area and he is an important addition to our Labour group in Conwy and the party more generally. Many people, like Mike, who thought the Lib Dems stood for their interests have been badly let down by the party’s leadership and we are seeing more and more people coming back to Labour.”

A spokesman for the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: 

“It’s particularly disappointing Coun Priestley has joined a party that has inflicted such chaos on our health service in North Wales. As a party, we have a proud record of delivery for the people of Conwy. Because of us, schools in Conwy have received millions of pounds of extra funding.”

This leads the Liberal Democrats with just four seats  on Conwy council where they were once prominent .

I suppose the remaining four Liberal Democrats can claim that Councillor Priestly now resigns his Cabinet seat as Member for Highways, Environment and Sustainability  as they now have none in a position of power within the ruling gtoup.

Is it worth their while being members of a coalition in which they have no reall say or maybe its time to sit with the Conservative group in opposition? 

Alun Davies from callow youth to shallow politician.

In today's Wasting Mule Martin Shipton   "gives his personal take on the qualities of one of the most high-profile members of the Welsh Government cabinet Alun Davies".

I first met Alun  way back in the Gower Byelection in 1982 when we both canvassing for Plaid and my memory  then was of a  rather callow youth

I then met him as a when I was a mature student four years later at Aberystwyth when he was still active in Plaid and was first a Regional officer and then President of NUS Cymru.

I partly owe much of my disillusion of Party politics to him as it seemed to me that he was putting his political ambition over the NUS and he was clearly carving a future out for him self in politics.

It came as no surprise that he defected to Labour when Plaid failed to make a impact and I believe that he placed his own ambition over any ideology he may have once had.

Carwyn Jones was a contemporary of ours  in Aber so when Alun  was elected firsr as regional Member for  then as a regional member for Mid and West Wales  and then for Blaneau Gwent.

Bt the way I don't agree with Martin Shipton that Alun

Nevertheless, he showed courage in giving up his regional list seat to win back Blaenau Gwent which had been lost in a bitter row over the imposition of an all-women shortlist – even though there was a double irony in his succeeding the widow of the male AM who had left the party in such circumstances.

In reality Blaneau Gwent looked likely to return to Labour whilst a Labour resurgence could well have resulted in them losing at least one of the  the regional seats  .

Since then he has been rapidly promoted  and in March 14, 2013 Alun was appointed Minister for Natural Resources and Food in the Welsh Government.


Since then he has courted controversy and  Marin Shipton seems to at least have a cynical view over the row over his support for the circuit of Wales project

Why did he write a letter to NRW, knowing it would have to be disclosed if a request was made under the Freedom of Information Act? Couldn’t he have picked up the phone to the NRW’s boss instead? The instinctive response is to say that the letter is a further example of Alun Davies’ arrogance. Perhaps though it was calculated to promote him as a local hero, someone who despite the risk to their political career was prepared to go out on a limb in the interests of their constituents.

When the letter came to light, thanks to its disclosure to Gareth Clubb of Friends of the Earth Cymru and the wider publicity given by the Western Mail, there had to be an investigation. It was inevitable that the Permanent Secretary, Sir Derek Jones, would conclude that the Ministerial Code had been broken. How inevitable it was that Carwyn Jones would let him off is something we may never know. The episode has certainly set an unseemly precedent. What is the point of having a Ministerial Code if Ministers who break it are let off the hook? There is also a contrast to the impact on the career of Leighton Andrews, who ceased to be Education Minister after campaigning to save a school in his constituency from closure. There was no investigation by the Permanent Secretary, no delay while the First Minister pondered on the report, and no reprieve. Alun Davies has apologised for what he did, but in the most perfunctory way possible. He doesn’t appear to be contrite in the slightest. We’re now supposed to forget the episode ever happened.

Maybe its Carwyn's long friendship with Alun first  developed in the Aber Student's Union that save him from being sacked as he should have been  but one wonder how far it will his support go?

Martin Shipton ask 

Could Alun Davies be the next First Minister?

Well he has the ambition but probably not the ability and not withstanding Carwyn's friendship the latter will probably watching his back.

Maybe that's why he didn't sack Alun thinking he may be more dangerous on the backbenches.

Alun Davies from callow youth to shallow politician.

He has a safe seat in Blaneau Gwent but with Carwyn seemingly to be around for some considerable time one wonders how long this will suit his overriding ambition.

 

Tony Blair . Democracy only works if I say so.

 Back in January  so caled peace envoy  Tony Blair has given his firm backing to the Egyptian government and called for the international community to get behind the leadership in the country, after a meeting on Wednesday with military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

During an interview with Sky News Arabia, Mr Blair, who had previously given his backing to Hosni Mubarak, accused the Muslim Brotherhood of "taking the country away from its basic values of hope and progress".

He also gave his support to the actions of the military, who helped to depose Mohamed Morsi last July, saying they had acted "at the will of the people"

As opposed to a democratic election that is.

We may not like the Muslim Brotherhood  but did the West do anything to help them in the transformation from opposition to Government ?

It seems for Tony Blair democracy only works if the "right people" are elected .

Blair wrote in the Observer last year

I am a strong supporter of democracy. But democratic government doesn't on its own mean effective government. Today, efficacy is the challenge. When governments don't deliver, people protest. They don't want to wait for an election. In fact, as Turkey and Brazil show, they can protest even when, on any objective basis, countries have made huge progress. But as countries move from low to middle income status, the people's expectations rise. They want quality services, better housing, good infrastructure, especially transport. And they will fight against any sense that a clique at the top is barring their way.
This is a sort of free democratic spirit that operates outside the convention of democracy that elections decide the government. It is enormously fuelled by social media, itself a revolutionary phenomenon. And it moves very fast in precipitating crisis. It is not always consistent or rational. A protest is not a policy, or a placard a programme for government. But if governments don't have a clear argument with which to rebut the protest, they're in trouble.
In Egypt, the government's problems were compounded by resentment at the ideology and intolerance of the Muslim Brotherhood. People felt that the Brotherhood was steadily imposing its own doctrines on everyday life. Across the Middle East, for the first time, and this is a positive development, there is open debate about the role of religion in politics. Despite the Muslim Brotherhood's superior organisation, there is probably a majority for an intrinsically secular approach to government in the region.

Now Tony Blair has agreed to advise the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,  who came to power in a military coup last year, as part of a programme funded by the United Arab Emirates that has promised to deliver huge "business opportunities" to those involved, 

So maybe that's his motivation rather than democratic institutions. , it is often unclear where his envoy role ends and his business interests begin. Or which he sees as a priority

So Egypt has a former Military Leader under el-Sisi in exactly the same way it was under Mubarack.

Blair who has much to answer for his intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq clearly believes that he knows whats best for the Middle East.

But as the Arab Spring turns to Winter as the result of Tony Blair's actions  Islamic Fundamentalism is on the rise we must surly ask is this Man really suitable as a peace envoy?

Is Wales future that of a Call Centre Nation?

The Mule reports that new figures from the Department of Work and Pensions reveal that Wales has the highest percentage of people on low incomes in the whole of the UK.

The latest Households Below Average Incomes (HBAI) survey shows that in 2012/13 24% of workers in Wales live on low incomes after housing costs, a higher proportion than England, Scotland or Northern Ireland.And the figures are getting worse. They are a percentage point up on the previous year, and do not take account of recent welfare changes such as the benefit cap and another year of increases in welfare not keeping up with the cost of living.


The DWP statistics show that Wales has some of the highest levels of “absolute poverty” after housing costs, especially for children, a third of whom fall into that category, and working age adults, where it is on the rise with a quarter now in absolute poverty. Overall, 17% of individuals across the UK are in absolute poverty, with Wales in the third highest position at 19%. Northern Ireland (21%) and Yorkshire & Humberside (20%) have marginally higher overall rates than Wales.Nevertheless, in figures which will surprise some, London also has some of the highest levels of absolute poverty after housing costs, with numbers there also increasing. Some 200,000 more individuals are in poverty, with two-fifths of children, a fifth of pensioners and more than a quarter of working age adults in that state.

Predictably Labour simply blame ther coalition Government

Jeff Cuthbert, Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty said: 

“Tackling poverty is at the heart of everything we do in government, which is why we have put such a strong emphasis on securing more jobs for people right across Wales.
“It is also why we are committing more money to break the link between poverty and educational attainment. However, the welfare reforms and tax and benefit changes made by the Tory-led Government are on an unprecedented scale and hugely damaging. Hundreds of millions of pounds are being stripped out of our most vulnerable communities and making life incredibly difficult for families.
“The Tories are asking the poorest people to pay the highest price for their austerity measures.”

But Labour in Power in Westminster from 1997 - 2010 and in Cardiff Bay from 1999 must tale responsibility as well .

This has not happened over night it is a direct result of lack of vision from the main Westminster Parties and since Margret Thatcher  Government believe all problems can be solved by encouraging a financial sector in London and the wealth produced there will trickle down to the rest of us.

We are living in a "Call Centre Nation" producing nothing and living on low wages.

We must ask ourselves "Do we want to carry on being Poor West Britons" or find solutions for ourselves replacing those who govern us who despite the Crocodile Tears have no  plan or desire to change things.

We have never been all init  together and the days when labour even had elected members who had the interest of "The Working Class" (remember them)  have long gone .

Instead we have Three Political Parties who look to "Middle England" where the marginal seats are that will decide the outcome of the next election .

The rest of us don't count we live in areas of Safe Labour seats and our votes count for nothing in the long run.


Our MPs will be like the Prospective Labour candidate for Aberavon Stephen Kinnock who will play lip service to the poor people of Port Talbot  where around 400 jobs are to go at the Tata steelmaking plant in have been  announced.

But his true  interest are in the City of London and financial capitalism are there's no indication that they will change.

What we need is elected representatives who put the needs of their elector first and not that of the type of Bankers who got us into the mes in the first place.

Some Hope.

Two Governments Off the Rails.

Just what is going on with the planned upgrade to electrify the "Valleys Rail Network"?


It has apparently has been put at risk by the Welsh government,according to Welsh Secretary David Jones


His comments came amid a row between the Welsh and UK governments over which would pay for the project. continues.

The rail improvements planned will see the upgrade of the main line from London Paddington to Cardiff which is due to be completed by 2017, and extended to Swansea by 2018 at a cost of £850m.

And the electrification of the Valleys lines - the commuter lines in and out of Cardiff - is due to be completed between 2019 and 2024.

On Monday at a conference on infrastructure projects in Cardiff Mr Jones added:

 "I am seriously concerned their [Welsh government] stance is putting this transformational project at risk."

He said he had a paper trail showing that there was a deal that the UK government would pay for work on the Great Western mainline to Swansea and the Welsh government would pay for the valleys.

At the time First Minister Carwyn Jones claimed the UK government agreed it would fund the electrification of the London-Swansea main line and the Valleys lines.

But Mr Jones's response was that that was not the agreed deal and the UK government insisted ministers in Cardiff had agreed to bear the cost of electrifying the Valleys lines.

This story first came to light in March 

In an interview with BBC Wales in October 2013, Prime Minster 

David Cameron said:

 "It's this government that's putting the money into the electrification of the railway line all the way up to Swansea and, of course, the Valley lines."

However the Wales Office office points to an exchange of letters between then UK Transport Secretary Justine Greening and then Welsh Transport Minister Carl Sargeant.

In her letter on July 13 2012, Ms Greening hails "a deal which will be perhaps the most significant infrastructure announcement for Wales for many years".

Electrified services in the Valleys will be included in the Wales and Borders franchise, it says. The two governments are joint signatories of the franchise.

Her letter said there would be "a specific access charge on the franchise to repay the infrastructure investment by Network Rail".

In his reply Mr Sargeant confirms "our agreement as set out in your letter".

So nearly 5 Months later we are none the wiser as both Governments claim  that the other has agreed to pay for for it.

So we have two governments  agreeing that electrifying the valleys line is desirable ( Indeed esential)  but neither wants to pay for it.

Maybe we should consider how to include electrifying the valleys Line with the Cardiff Metro Plan?

Certainly we need a joint up approach to Transport needs in South East Wales Iideed Wales as a whole.

However t it is clear that whilst we may expect much talk from Labour in Cardif Bay and the Tories in Westminster we are unlikely to see any action..

Ten years from now we nothing will have happened but we still be getting palns fo improvement which will again not happen.

We can't go on like this we will continue to fal behind the rest of Europe unless we transform our infrastructure but it clear that the two major Parties are not capable of doing so. .