Party Games

Of course the Wasting Mule  is largely critical of Plaid over the party's decision to to vote against the Labour Government in the Public Health Bill, causing it to fail. 

 Leighton Andrews has  referred to his Plaid colleagues as a ‘cheap date’ yesterday in the Senedd. 

Before the jibe enough Plaid AM were expected to back the government proposal in a free vote but one of these Elin Jones said

“Others have suggested it was unacceptable sexist, macho language, others that it was pre-meditated. All I can say is that the moment it was said, it could not be unsaid.
"It was not a flippant, feisty comment from the Labour backbenches. It was obvious to all present, Labour included, that a line had been crossed.
"Since then many accusations have come my way. Some have told me that I need to develop thicker-skin.
“I probably already have thicker-skin than most politicians. Yesterday was about one politician, one Government Minister, who sought party political advantage out of cross-party co-operation.
"He instantly put in jeopardy any future cross-party co-operation between political parties, by demeaning past co-operation.”

I am not going into the rights and wrongs here  but to question whether such a Bill should be whipped in the first place.

We can only wonder how many Labour AM in a free vote would have voted against the bill, but considering the arguments For and Against , whether this was good or bad for public health in its effectiveness in helping people to quit smoking and the question whether t vapours from e-cigs in public place were harmful. I suspect a number were opposed.

There were other parts to the Bill,  and I wonder why Labour didn't accept an amendment to remove the  e-cigs clause .

The question I am asking is such a measure something that is a clear Political issue or is something that should be left to the individual conscious  of legislatures.

It seems that our elected representative try to put party politics in to everything but there are surly issues that depend on whether you have a Libertarian or Authoritarian  streak

Even that is to simple with people often shifting positions.

Plaid were right to allow a Free   Vote in the first place  , Whether they were right to abandon this in reaction to  Leighton Andrews has  referring previous to his Plaid support  as a ‘cheap date’  is open to question.

But maybe the question should be why was the governing part whipped on such an issue . 

Could it be that if they did then the Bill would surely have not even got of the staring blocks?

Or maybe AMs from other Parties would be more cooperative?

I was unconvinced of the arguments on e-cigs on both sides , but lean to the belief that to impose some sort of  restriction would remove much of aid that people need to give up smoking.

If I was an AM or any Party I would be annoyed if I was told to vote either way in what is not  an issue of Political ideology.

Sugar Tax: Plaid must be feeling vindicated.

Plaid leader Leanne Wood  must be feeling a little smug this morning. 

Its not often that a an opposition Party sees a policy that they have championed adopted by a government  even if there is avast diffrence on how the Tax will be raised . (Manufactures not Consumers).

But since one of Chancellor George Osborne more high-profile announcements was a sugar tax on soft drinks, which will raise £520m for school sports and longer school days.the Plaid leader must have a feeling of vindication.


Plaid called for a Sugar Tax two years ago to be implemented in Wales if we were granted Tax raising powers.

It was largely derided by other Welsh Politicians  until high profile campaigners like Jamie Oliver took up the call on a UK base.

Of course there will be a difference in a UK Tax from what Leanne wanted in  2013

She wrote then

The overall aim is for public health rather than to raise tax revenues. In France, where the tax rate of 7c per litre was introduced, there was an immediate 3.3% sales drop. Using a higher tax rate, closer to that we suggest, academics estimate an elasticity of demand of around 8-10% for soft drinks.
Assuming a full 10% fall in sugared drink consumption, the tax take would be around £65.5m or £55m without fruit juices and smoothies.
The public health effect due to reduced consumption, based on models in the similarly sized Republic of Ireland, would be to reduce obesity by 10,000 people. In total, 15,000 people would no longer be overweight – with all of the related healthcare complications that being obese or overweight create.
Plaid Cymru is committed to the introduction of 1,000 additional doctors to Wales. Currently, Wales has fewer doctors per head than almost every other country in the European Union and fewer than any other country in the UK.
Wales requires a range of doctors – with different grades and specialisms.
Taking the median mid-point pay scale for various types of doctors would give an average wage for a consultant of around £82,000 p.a., general practitioners £70,000 p.a., associate specialists £62,000 and junior doctors around £33,000. There are further on-costs relating to employers’ NI and pension contributions in particular.
Assuming a mix, for example, of 100 consultants, 300 GPs, 200 associate specialists and 400 junior doctors and allowing for 20% for additional on-costs this would be around £66m.

The figures that Osborne anticipate are far less than Plaid would have expected even if the share of the revenue was passed to Wales pro rata and the Tax will be on manufactures not consumers so will not act as much of a deterrent.
But it nevertheless points to a row on how the Tax will be spent. 

Will the money raised by this new tax be passed on the Legislatures of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as a top on to existing grants.

Will we get out fair share even if its far short of what Plaid were expecting to raise? 

And will it be clearly distinctive and not see Westminster cleverly reducing other money from the Welsh Budget.

Of course its not the Money raised that is important but the hope it will improve the health of the Nation whether  your Nation is the UK or Wales.

Still Plaid seem to have a reason to crow though maybe the shenanigans in the Assembly yesterday may take some gloss of it  

Jo Marler apology for "Gypsy" Slur should not end there.

 

England look certain to be without Joe Marler for Saturday's Grand Slam showdown with France in Paris after he was cited yesterday for striking Wales' Rob Evans.

However, the controversial Harlequins prop could receive further punishment today over his "gypsy boy" comment made to Samson Lee as he might be suspended for up to four weeks by a Six Nations disciplinary hearing.
 

His language directed towards Lee during England's 25-21 victory at Twickenham on Saturday -- for which he apologised at half-time - was condemned yesterday by both Wales assistant coach Rob Howley and England head coach Eddie Jones.

"Players always have banter in a game but there's no place for that," said Howley.

While Lee has accepted Marler's back-tracking, Shay Clipson - founder of the National Alliance of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Women - equated his actions to racial abuse of black players and described it as "absolutely diabolical

Just Imagine if a Jewish Player had been abused there would be a Public outcry , But to slur people of Roma origin is considered many as "banter".

The Roma  suffered in the same ways during the Holocaust as the Jews but Today it is still considered OK to discriminate against the former.

 The Romani genocide or Romani Holocaust, also known as the Porajmoswas the planned and attempted effort, often described as a genocide, during World War II by the government of Nazi Germany and its allies to exterminate the Romani (Gypsy) people of Europe. Under the rule of Adolf Hitler, a supplementary decree to the Nuremberg Laws was issued on 26 November 1935, defining Gypsies as "enemies of the race-based state", the same category as Jews. Thus, the fate of Roma in Europe in some ways paralleled that of the Jews

 Historians estimate that 220,000 to 500,000 Romani were killed by the Nazis and their collaborators, or more than 25% of the slightly less than 1 million Roma in Europe at the time.^[ Ian Hancock puts the death toll as high as 1.5 million.^[ In 1982, West Germany formally recognized that genocide had been committed against the Romani.

In 2011 the Polish Government passed a resolution for the official recognition of the 2nd of August as a day of commemoration of the genocide.

And yet whereas Antisemitism is rightly condemned when it raised its ugly head ,,hardly anyone speaks up for the Roma.

Joe Marler apology should be taken into account and it is to hoped that this will put an end to anty further abuse.

But  it is time we examine the whole issue of discrimination against, Roma,Travellers, or Gypsys and campaign against it in the sane we do against  nearly every other attacks on minorities,

 

 

 

Brexit Welsh Tory leader recived £100,000 farming subsidy from the EU in a year

The Wasting Mule reports that tThe family farming business of anti-EU Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies received EU subsidies totaling nearly £100,000 in a year, 

The Mule states.

Last month Mr Davies, who farms in the Vale of Glamorgan and represents South Wales Central, announced he would be voting to Leave the EU in the referendum to be held on June 23.
Yet the public record shows that over the period October 16 2013 to October 15 2014, his family firm TJ Davies and Sons received a total of £96,808.89 in EU subsidies. Of that, £70,930.63 was allocated under the Single area payment scheme, with a further £24,099.86 in agro-environmental payments and £1,728.40 from the first afforestation of agricultural land scheme.

It  has also been reported that Figures available on the UK Government’s searchable database, cap-payments.defra.gov.uk, show that Brecon and Radnorshire AM Ms Williams’ family firm DC Rees and Son of Brecon received a total of £60,594.21 in EU subsidies between October 2013 and October 2014. 

Over the same period Mid and West Wales Lib Dem AM William Powell ’s family firm DJ and WD Powell received subsidies totalling £8,232.32 in respect of a farm at Talgarth.
Former North Wales Tory AM Antoinette Sandbach ’s firm Hafodunos received subsidy payments of £21,113.71 for a farm in Conwy . She resigned last year after being elected MP for a Cheshire seat. She plans to vote for the UK to remain in the EU. 

 A pro-EU Welsh Conservative source said: 

“Andrew RT Davies’ family business is benefiting to the extent of almost £100,000 a year from European Commission subsidies, yet he wants Wales and the UK to leave the EU.
 There is absolutely no guarantee that the same level of subsidies would be available from the UK Government if voters decide in the referendum that we should come out of the EU. Nor, as the Prime Minister pointed out at the Welsh Conservative conference in Llangollen last week , can Welsh farmers expect to avoid tariff barriers if we leave the Single Market. "Andrew RT Davies may feel like gambling with the subsidies he is fortunate enough to receive from the EU, but may others will not be prepared to do so. Both the unions representing farmers in Wales are backing a remain vote in the referendum, and there are very clear financial reasons for that.

Unless there of course is a secret agreement  among Top Tories that such subsidies will continue.
 
At first glance this looks like a strong  argument  or the REMAIN side.

However, It could be argued that the EU Farm polices are  spending to much on subsidising farmers , When the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Of course it would take a brave Politician even a Tory to argue that  Agriculture should be treated in the same way we treat other Industries and unprofitable Farms should not be supserdised.


For instance how many people do Andrew RT Davies'  family firm TJ Davies and Sons employ?

But Remain or Stay is it not time we questioned how well this money has been used  and how much benefit we really ger out of it.

 

No appitire for change in AM or MP numbers?

Roger Scully over at Elections in Wales has been doing not only he number crunching on recent BBC/ICM poll.


Part of the Poll asked how many AM and MPs Wales should have in Cardiff Bay and Westminster respectively.

 “There are elections for the Welsh Assembly on the 5^th of May. There are currently 60 AMs but some people argue that should be increased to at least 80. Which of these statements comes closest to your view?

• There should be fewer than the current 60 AMs: 23%
• The current 60 AMs is about right: 48%
• An increase to 80 AMs is about right: 13%
• There should be more than 80 AMs: 7%
• Don’t Know: 9%

 As Roger Scully Points out

 

Intuitively I would expect a question like this to attract a fairly negative response. More politicians rarely seems an attractive prospect, and the question did nothing to explain why some people might argue for the numbers to be increased. This is certainly not a question that might be argued to be pushing people to offer answers in that direction.

 “Wales currently has 40 MPs in the House of Commons. There are plans to cut the number of MPs to around 30. Which of these statements comes closest to your view?

• There should be fewer than the current 40 MPs: 18%
• The current 40 MPs is about right: 52%
• There should be an increase to more than 40 MPs: 28%
• Don’t Know: 2%

 Interestingly  whilst as I would have bet my House on in both polls the Status quo was the preferred option there was a marked difference in those calling for an increase over a decrease in MPs

This may well reflect that Westminster is still seem as the major influence on Welsh lives.

Indeed it throws up some interesting facts according to Roger Scully as looked at the figures in depth.

What is perhaps most interesting about these responses, however, is where support and opposition to reducing the number of Welsh MPs comes from. I would have expected that those favouring reducing the number of Welsh MPs would have been mainly people who also favoured increasing the size of the National Assembly – supporters of greater devolution who wished to see the primary locus of political representation moved from London to Cardiff. And I would have expected those who oppose devolution, or oppose taking it further, to take the opposite stances: wanting to keep a strong Welsh body of representatives in Westminster, while firmly resisting enhancing the size of the Assembly as much as they opposed increasing its powers.
That was what made sense to me, at any rate. But I was wrong – on the latter of these two questions, at least. When we look at the details of the responses to the question on the number of MPs, we find something very striking in terms of who most supports a reduction in numbers and who most takes the opposite view. It is among those wishing to abolish the National Assembly (or the few wishing to retain it but reduce its powers) that we find a particular tendency also to support reducing the number of Welsh MPs. Even more strikingly, it is those who favour greater powers for the Assembly (or even independence) who are most likely to support increasing the Welsh voice at Westminster. The latter position might seem somewhat bizarre, even wholly illogical – how could one support Welsh independence while also wanting to have greater representation at Westminster? Without further information on the respondents we cannot be certain, but it would appear to suggest a general desire for a stronger Welsh political voice – and one could quite conceivably support Welsh independence in the long-term while also believing that, until it arrives, Wales needs strong representation in Westminster.

Actually the last sentence is probably close to my own position.

One can only number if Wales already had 80 AM and say 50 MPs how different the Poll would be.

I suspect there may be little difference .

Certainly I doubt anyone can responsibly use the above figures to claim support for their own views. 

I think that this is an Interesting Poll  only  when you see Roger's analysis.

And this is maybe the point simple figures  are not enough. How the question was frames being only one of the issues.

 

 

Did Cameron spoil Welsh Tories party?

Poor Welsh Tories.  There they are having their Spring Conference before the Welsh Assembly  May elections only for their UK leader David Cameron to force an obvious split over Europe and the Brexit.

 
He told the Welsh Tories in Llangollen that Wales' future depended on voters making the "right choices" in the assembly election and EU referendum.
The prime minister stressed the value of the EU to farmers in particular.
Ex-Welsh Secretary David Jones said he was "disappointed" Mr Cameron used his platform to promote the EU cause when the party was supposed to be neutral. 

Addressing party members on Friday, the prime minister said: "Let us remember - this isn't some abstract question.

"These are actually people's jobs, people's livelihoods, people's life chances, people's families we're talking about.
"I say don't put them at risk - don't take this leap in the dark."

Maybe nobody told him that the  "Leader" of the Tories in Wales Andrew RT Davies was not only calling for a OUT vote, But was also a farmer himself.

The Tories must be hoping that many of those who voted for them in May 2015 will do so again a year later.

Though they many may well not vote as they normally do .

Having your leader splitting your Party Conference is pretty Bad even if Cameron wants the Euro Referendum to eclipse the Assembly elections.

Which in calling the referendum June seems part of his intentions.

Mind you it not as if the Tories had a lot to say,

With Andrew RT saying that the NHS was  the only department the Welsh Conservatives would  guarantee they could protect if they were in power

Andrew RT Davies said spending on health would be protected if the party wins the assembly election in May. They would effectively cut every thing else.

Under the formula that sets its budget, the Welsh Government will get more money as a result of UK ministers' pledge to spend more on the NHS in England.
Mr Davies said under the Conservatives that extra money, known as a consequential, would go into the Welsh NHS.

Mr Davies said

"But it would be wrong of me at this stage to say that I could guarantee x, y or z other than the health budget, because ultimately we know that the Westminster government has given the protection of the health budget in England with an extra £8bn going into it, so there will be a direct consequential coming over from that budget," .

"And we can guarantee that the near £500m that we will receive over the five years of the assembly will go into the Welsh NHS. The only party to do that."

Oh and education Mr Davies said the education budget would have "more money freed up" under the Tories by funding schools directly from the Welsh Government, instead of through local education authorities.

"We will be making sure that money hits the classroom, rather than it stays in county halls and central bureaucracy,"

But apart from that  no real ambition for the next four years.

Is the Welsh NHS going to be the only battleground for the Assembly elections?

With Plaid leader Leanne Wood   saying that that the  Assembly election is referendum on health services in North Wales in particular .

We can expect little else to be on the leaflets coming through our doors.

One of the Tory plans seem to be have elected Regional boards to run the NHS. Not a bad idea really .

But it a shame if that's what the Assembly elections have become . Just electing AM who promise to spend more on the NHS and cut everything else year after year.


 

Changing Leaders .

The May Assembly elections have not even entered the final month and already the Wasting Mule, seems to be seeking to elect new Plaid Leader.

 Martin Shipton recently wrote that

 The expectations raised by Leanne Wood that Plaid will be leading the Welsh Government after the election on May 5 are such that it would be difficult for her to stay on as leader if her hopes are not fulfilled – unless she swallows her pride and becomes Deputy First Minister in a Labour-led coalition.

Seriously, if success next May is based on leading a Welsh Government then the Lib Dems and Tories  are likely to have anew leader every four years.

Every one of their AM must fancy themselves as leader of the Party.

But  its a concern that any leader who does not win an election must fall on his or her sword if they don't win, or show an improvement in the vote and seats gained.


Plaid are on a uphill battle next but  must be scratching their heads how with a popular leader they are not doing better in the polls.

Of course the fact that they are largely omitted by the UK media and we have only a small Welsh media ant that includes the Wasting Mule.

Some Plaid members may be anticipating the Pi(n)ce Over the Water (if he wins his seat as expected  to lead the Party  to emulate the SNP.

Or according to Shipton''.....

For many Plaid activists, Rhun ap Iorwerth has the credentials to be their next leader.
Dubbed “Kennedy Cymru” by the team around him when he breezed to victory in the 2013 Ynys Mon by-election, he’s well-known across Wales because of his previous role as a TV presenter for BBC Wales and S4C.

I'm sure they both have excellent qualities, but in four years time and either fails to lead the Party to Victory will we lose him as they resign and then quit as an AM.

Barring a disastrous  campaign  maybe Leanne should be given another chance to build on her appeal to voters.

But the main issue of course is thet we are not electing a Welsh President despite the emphasis on "Leaders Debate".

Indeed its a worrying development in UK politics that  perceived qualities or inadequacies.


The media  already  have the power to implant in our minds that a Party leader is a loser

Dr Who fans will remember from the Christmas Invasion
As the Sycorax ship moves away, Harriet orders Torchwood to fire on them, destroying the ship. The Doctor becomes furious with Harriet, who tries to justify her actions by reminding the Doctor that he is not always there to save them , and plants a negative ideas in the minds of the media.With a whisper "Don't you think she looks tired".

But our media don't need the Doctor all we need i the likes of Shipton who sees himself as Kingmaker or rather Queen disposer.

Leanne is the best thing that has happened to Plaid in years , She may need more than one election to prove it.