Taking the Pisa again.

It seem that when the PISA results come out all we have to do is rewrite the same articles or blogs we wrote three years ago .

Yes its a case of Deva Ju, and Wales’ schools system has been ranked the worst in the UK in the international PISA tests published today.Results from tests taken by 15-year-olds across Wales for the OECD survey of standards across the globe show we are adrift of the global and UK average in reading, maths and science.

In Wales, 3,500 pupils took the tests

Scores show we not only do worse on average than the other UK nations, but also have fewer high performing and more low performing students in science, reading and maths.

It is the fourth consecutive set of Pisa results in which Wales' students have performed worse than the rest of the UK.

These statistics show how Wales' scores have failed to improve in Maths and Reading for 10 years, which falling back significantly in Science.

It gets even more embarrassing when  it allows the the chief inspector of schools in England to claim that the   Wales and Scotland's results the  a major study of educational performance are 

"dragging the UK down", 

Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw told the BBC News Channel that Welsh education is "paying the price" for abandoning standard assessment tests.

He said,

: "England's results are, I think, pretty good. The focus of Pisa this year was science and we've improved our position from 21st to 15th.
"We're doing better than the other home nations - Scotland and Wales. Their results are dragging the UK performance down a bit."
 remember when the Welsh Government took away all the accountability measures that we have in England - Sats, testing and so on - and that was disastrous, absolutely disastrous and Welsh education is paying the price for that.
"We didn't do that in England. We kept the testing at [ages] seven, 11, 14 and we kept accountability and that's what the Welsh system lost."

Wales abandoned Sats and school performance league tables in 2004.

Is that the cause of our poor performance ? Well  it is an argument that has some merit in that it prepares students for such testing later and could identify weaknesses.

When I said we could repeat what was written 3 years ago  there would be one omission , the former La Passionaria of the opposition benches  said in 2013

the then Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Kirsty Williams tweeted: "

Really sad and angry that 14 years of Welsh Labour Education Policy has led us to these #PISA results."

She is now of course the Education Minister in the "not a coalition" government so it provides a problem of the Lib Dems who now are led by the sole Welsh Lib Dem MP since they have no AMs on the opposition benches .

Mark Williams  said,

“It is extremely disappointing to see Wales, once again, lagging far behind the rest of the UK. Sadly it is not a surprise. We are playing catch up and cannot afford to waste a single moment in raising standards for all pupils and schools.
"It is no easy task, but Kirsty Williams and the Welsh Lib Dems have already proved ourselves up to the job. In opposition the Welsh Lib Dems secured more than £280m to support our poorest pupils. In Government, working with teachers, parents and pupils, Kirsty is driving forward much needed reforms.
"We know that great leadership and excellent teachers are the best way to improve our school system. I welcome that Kirsty Williams has prioritised a new Leadership Academy, reform of teaching training and a relentless focus on raising standards and reducing the attainment gap.
“Wales must now stick with Kirsty’s plan which will deliver the education system that our young people, and the country, needs and deserves."

Now clearly the former La Passionaria, after less than a year in the job cannot be blamed for the current results .

But if she had not taken the what is admittedly a poison chalice.I very much doubt that she would have been reticent from  the opposition benches yesterday  and agree that a New Education Minister should have time to settle down.

That part of the problem, in that a response to the PISA results could result in changes and the current one abandoned although  three years is to short evaluate them.

So we respond by changing the Minster and then the curriculum , but do we give enough time to see tat any reforms work?

But clearly under Labour in the Assembly  we have seen constant failure when you look at exam results as well as the PISA rankings and they have failed to come to grips with the stark problems that face Education in Wales.

I admit I don't know what the answer is , and we should be careful in how we criticise if we don;t have any solutions ourselves.

But we can't go on like it . It is part of the Job of the opposition to point out government failings.

Three years from now I will probably be writing the same Blog and that the improvement sought  by the "not a coalition minister" may have not taken place,

Even a minor improvement may allow her to claim that her polices are working.

But how much longer can we be both failing our Children and our Nation as we seek to catch up with the rest of the world ?

Native Americans should seek representation in the US Congress.

Sunday’s halting of the Dakota Access pipeline marks a key victory for Native Americans involved in the months-long protest, 

Of course it could be  reversed by Donald Trump after he is inaugurated  so maybe there should be constant vigilance 

Tim Giago, a journalist and Oglala Sioux Tribe member who has covered Native American issues for decades has claimed the movement at Standing Rock represents the latest chapter in a centuries-old history of indigenous people striving to protect their land, and its magnitude goes beyond nearly any Native American protest before it.

“Over the last 50 years there have been protests taking place and I don’t think any of them have united like this one,” said Giago, who described the Army’s announcement Sunday that it would freeze the pipeline’s construction as “a major victory for the Indian nation.”
"The theme Water is Life has taken on a whole meaning not only for the Indian nations but for people in the United States and also all over the world," 

Hopefully it will  lead to Native Americans unifying the same way  we in Wales did after the aftermath  pf the The building of the  Tryweryn reservoir which was instrumental in an increase in support for the Welsh nationalist party, Plaid Cymru, during the late 1950s. Almost unanimous Welsh political opposition had failed to stop approval of the scheme, a fact that seemed to underline Plaid Cymru's argument that the Welsh national community was powerless.] At the subsequent General Election the party's support increased from 3.1% to 5.2%.

Maybe it's time Native Americans demanded representation in congress  A number of Us territories have a (non voting) representative in congress . Though Native Americans with a total population of about 5- 6 million could claim  up to 8 representatives  and voting rights.

They could look to New Zealand where the Māori have been represented in Parliament from 1867.

At the moment There are seven designated Māori seats in the New Zealand Parliament (and Māori can and do stand in and win general roll seats), and consideration of and consultation with Māori have become routine requirements for councils and government organisations.

I am sure Māori representatives  would argue that this does not mean that they are not ignored , but they do have a voice.

Its not for me to tell Native Americans what they should do , but if they  did have a voice in the US congress. Something that would have helped  the Oglala Sioux early on.

Everone deserves decent housing conditions including Asylum seekers.

Yesterdays Sunday Politics covered the   The sub-standard condition of some housing for asylum seekers in Wales which the Welsh Refugee council  described as is "an accident waiting to happen", 

Problems seen by BBC Wales include broken fire alarms, leaking plumbing, damp, and broken electrical sockets.

Clearsprings Ready Homes which provides all asylum accommodation in Wales declined to comment.

The Home Office said it was committed to providing safe, secure housing.

According to the latest statistics, there are 2,495 people in Wales currently seeking asylum.

While their claims are being processed, they are not allowed to work but can receive somewhere to live.

Sohail Ahmed, 25, who fled Pakistan in 2012, has been seeking asylum in the UK since June and has been housed in Cardiff for the past two months.

BBC Wales' Sunday Politics programme visited where he lives and saw issues including a defective mains powered fire alarm, a window that did not close properly, damp carpets, a leaking kitchen sink and bath and broken furniture.

Mr Ahmed said:

 "When I came here and then see all this situation, I call them [Clearsprings Ready Homes] many times, they are making promises but since that time nothing has happened.
"At the end of the day we are still human. I'm standing here not only for myself.
"I do believe that if I'm suffering hard from these things, there are many thousands of people who are suffering from these things."

Clearsprings Ready Homes has a £119m contract with the UK government to provide all asylum accommodation in Wales.

It is due to expire next year but the Home Office is considering an extension.

The company was criticised earlier this year over concerns about a policy which required people at its Lynx House centre in Cardiff to wear wristbands to allow them to get food.

The bands were later scrapped.

Plaid AM Bethan Jenkins, who is a member of the assembly's equality, local government and communities committee, which is conducting an inquiry into refugees and asylum seekers, said she was aware of the issues.

"There are other families across Swansea, some of whom I've visited, who are experiencing the same things,"
"They're coming into houses that are very old, very damp, with numerous problems and really they should be fit for purpose before the asylum seekers are housed here."

Clearsprings Ready Homes declined to comment but in a response to inquiries made by Ms Jenkins, the firm acknowledged that 

"clearly there is an issue that needs urgent investigation".

There will be those who will argue that there are many Welsh people living in similar conditions .

Indeed we often see arguments that we cannot look after our own 

But of course we can , what we lack is the will to do so.

If UK citizens are living in the same conditions as Asylum seekers , then it time we sorted both out ,

It is   years since Ken Loachs  play about homelessness Cathy Come Home was first aired on the BBC

By coincidence, another charity for the homeless, Shelter, was launched a few days after the first broadcast. Though it was not connected to the programme, "the film alerted the public, the media, and the government to the scale of the housing crisis, and Shelter gained many new supporters.

And yet we still have families living in hostels and the same condition as the Asylum seekers highlighted yesterday on the Sunday Politics.

Only last week came the news that in Birmingham a homeless man found dead in the city centre on the coldest night of the year.

There was a huge outpouring of emotion after the man's body was discovered in John Bright Street late on Tuesday night.

He was believed to have been aged just 30.

It is however important to realise that the case of the Swansea Asylum seekers is an example of the state of the UK today in how it treats the dispossessed including our own citizens.

They should not be separated, especially by those who constantly vote for politicians who have done little to help those who are homeless or living in overcrowded or sub standard housing.

Making sure everyone lives in decent conditions should be our aim,regardless of their origin or circumstances.

Just who is bringing Cardiff Council into " into disrepute"?

There appears to be something rather odd with how A spokesman for the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and  Adjudication Panel for Wales. works when it comes to "disciplining " errant councillors.

Cardiff councillor and Assembly Neil McEvoy will face a tribunal over allegations he breached the council's code of conduct.

If he is found to have breached the code of conduct, he could face suspension for up to a year as a councillor or disqualification as a councillor for up to five years.

Coun McEvoy is currently the leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Cardiff council. He was also elected to the Assembly in May, representing South Wales Central.

A number of complaints have been investigated by the Public Services Ombudsman and the case has now been referred to the Adjudication Panel for Wales.

The allegation is that he breached paragraphs 4(a), 4(b) and 6(1)(a) of the councillors' code of conduct.

They read:4(a) You must carry out your duties and responsibilities with due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people, regardless of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, age or religion;(b) You must show respect and consideration for others6.1 You must— (a) not conduct yourself in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing your office or authority into disrepute.

What ever you think about McMcevoy it does seem strange that it is being made by a Council  which has seen the ruling Labour group losing seven council seats under either through resignations or by-election losses.  

Former group spokesperson Sue White quit on Monday after two years as a Llandaff North councillor.

In a statement, she told Wales Online she resigned “because of bullying and what I perceive to be racial discrimination”.

Ms White said:

 “There is a culture of bullying in the Cardiff council Labour group which has been allowed to go unchecked for far too long.
“I myself have experienced it when I was the group secretary and, most recently, when I defended the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (AMA).”

she later sdded

"I have worked for the Labour party all my adult life, my parents have been Labour activists for 70 years, and the behaviour I have witnessed while I have served as a councillor in Cardiff bears no resemblance to the fundamental Labour policies of inclusion, equality and respect."

I do not know what Neil Mcevoy has been accused of he is admittedly a controversial  and confrontational politician, but it seems the complaints  and disciplinary process  particularly  under

6.1 You must— (a) not conduct yourself in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing your office or authority into disrepute.

seems to be geared against opposition councillors , whereas those in charge can dismiss allegations of bullying and racism by setting up a investigation run by themselves .

Note I welcome comments, and will publish them and do not seek to censor them, but please be aware of the Libel Laws 

Unionist makes comparison of number AM with that of US Federal government.

David Taylor former Labour Special Adviser.and failed Labour candidate for North Wales Police Commissioner (Despite being endorsed by Dafydd El) has been commentating on the proposal to  raise the number of Welsh AM to 82

Unlike John Dixon at Borthlas  or Owen at Oggy Bloggy Ogwr who take a open and critical view of the proposals  Taylor is completely hostile 

The title 

"This Is No Time To Bloat Welsh Politics Even More" 

Shows from the start that it was not going to be balance critique.

He writes 

.... there is now a serious risk that continual moaning from Cardiff Bay about not having enough AMs, or powers, or money to do the job effectively, and to excuse poor performance, will ultimately lead people in Wales to the conclusion that devolution just does not work.If the events of 2016 teach Welsh politicians anything, it should be that there is nothing inevitable about the future of devolution.

Mr Taylor is perfectly entitled to express  opinions and some of his points are valid.

But he completely loses the plot 

For he writes

....However Some AMs are saying they can’t do that and provide adequate scrutiny. Well here’s something they should have known before standing for election: politics and being an elected representative can be hard work – it’s meant to be. The best way of proving their worth would be to get on with it.
The United States, with a population of 320 million, has 100 senators, 435 voting members of the House of Representatives and is generally considered to do a pretty effective job of holding the leader of the free world to account.

 Mr Taylor seems to be unaware that the USA is Federal Nation  with 50 states each with their own Legislature.

Utah  Population 2,995,919   for incidence has 104 members consisting of 29 Senators and 75 Representatives,

Iowa Population 3,123,899 has 150 members 50 Senators and 100 Representatives.

Mr Taylor could argue these states have much more powers than the Assembly  but he  doesn't instead he uses a totally  superfluous example.

What of my own views 

Well the fact that the 82 number is based on the the proposed 29 Westminster Constituencies  electing  3 members is rather a lazy approach.  

There is no reason for the Assembly Constituencies  to mirror the UK .The  Scotland  has   73 MP  elected to represent first past the post constituencies  whilst thre are 59 Westminster  Constituencies   and of course a similar  disparity would occur in Wales if the Westminster proposals go through.

As a supporter of STV  I wonder if three is to small a number to see true proportional elections  

The chances of a Party winning more than one seat in a Constituency seems slim and we could three parties all on 29 seats .

Although that would be  unlikely the largest party would have no more than 35 (out of 82) seats in a very good year which could mean the largest part are never in power as others form a coalition.

We need about 20- 25 constituencies electing 4 or 5 members in a 80-100 member Assembly to get a real working Proportional  Assembly or Parliament.

The number of AM is a Chicken and Egg thing in that what comes first increase members or increased  powers . Personally i would prefer the former if the latter was to follow quickly

Lets have a proper debate and see decent proposals. But lets not of comparisons  with the Legislatures of Federal Legislatures rather than the member states until we are an Independent nation ourselves 

If Richmond is to be seen as victory for a Progressive Alliance, Lib Dems must reciprocate.

The Liberal Democrats have produced a stunning byelection victory to unseat Zac Goldsmith in Richmond Park, overturning a 23,000 majority to remove the former Conservative MP in a vote which they may well be seen as shifting the Byelection from the reason Goldsmith resigned. Opposition to the Heathrow expansion to a de facto plebiscite on the government’s Brexit plans.


In one of the more unusual and closely contested byelections of recent years, which may be used to support a Progressive Alliance  the Conservatives, Greens and Ukip stepped aside entirely. The Tories decided to not oppose Goldsmith, Ukip backed him and the Greens threw their support behind Olney and the Lib Dems/

According to Wikipedia

.The results in the EU referendum on 23 June 2016 were reported by local authority, and, as the constituency consists of parts of two local authorities, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, the exact referendum vote in Richmond Park is not known. However, Chris Hanretty, a Reader in Politics at the University of East Anglia, estimated through a demographic model that Richmond Park had one of the dozen lowest 'Leave' votes in the entire country. His latest estimates suggest that 27.7% of Richmond Park voters voted 'Leave', and thus that 72.3% voted 'Remain'.

By-election 2016: Richmond Park^[57][58][59]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Democrat	Sarah Olney	20,510	49.68	+30.41
	Independent	Zac Goldsmith	18,638	45.15	-13.06
	Labour	Christian Wolmar	1,515	3.67	-8.67
	Monster Raving Loony	Howling Laud Hope	184	0.45	N/A
	Independent	Fiona Syms	173	0.42	N/A
	Christian Peoples	Dominic Francis Stockford	164	0.40	N/A
	One Love	Maharaja Jammu and Kashmir	67	0.16	N/A
	No label	David Powell	32	0.08	N/A
Majority			1,872	4.53
Turnout			41,367	53.44	-23.01
	Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative		Swing	+21.73

2015 general election[edit]

General Election 2015: Richmond Park^[60][61][62]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Zac Goldsmith	34,404	58.21	+8.5
	Liberal Democrat	Robin Meltzer	11,389	19.27	-23.5
	Labour	Sachin Patel	7,296	12.34	+7.3
	Green	Andrée Frieze	3,548	6.00	+5.0
	UKIP	Sam Naz	2,464	4.17	+3.0
Majority			23,015	38.94	+32.0
Turnout			59,101	76.5	-0.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+16.0

This may well be used as an example of a Progressive Alliance something I fully endorse.

But if this is to continue then the Lib Dems need to stop tactics such as a fake newspaper put through his door. It’s more convincing than the usual literature used by political parties, and even goes as far as including reports from “a senior Gazette reporter” who does not exist. 

Goldsmith tactic ts in Richmond in the past have been controversial, but there is no excuse for this.

The Greens stood down in this Election and openly backed the Lib Dem candidate.

Hopefully we will see the Liberal Democrats reciprocate   in favour of the Greens, or will Richmond convince the Lib Dems that they do not need a "Progressive Alliance " and go it alone.

I welcome the Lib Dems  victory but lets be clear a Progressive Alliance must be more then just opposing Brexit or the Tories, but be forward thinking in many areas including the constitution.

It also means an end to the dirty tactics (successful as they are ) that the Lib Dems constantly use.

Labour: Welsh and Scottish Nationalism Bad , British Nationalism good.

Labour Princeling Stephen Kinnock  has been causing a bit of a stir on Twitter Lately

Clearly, alarmed with the rise of Ukip  Brexit,and the election of Trump he appears to think that  the answer is to surrender to the sentiments of those whom voted for them by sundering and becoming Ukip lite.

 

ProgressOnline‏@ProgressOnline

.@SKinnock We must move away from multiculturalism and towards assimilation. We must stand for one group: the British people. #progpolitics

Indeed Kinnock, the MP for Aberavon, called on the party stop practicing “identity politics” because every racial and religious group is struggling with social mobility. 

He also said Labour needed to understand it was the responsibility of the the state to "manage immigration”.

Speaking at the London School of Economics  recently , he said:

 “We’ve been obsessing about diversity. We have been a party that has been increasingly associated with standing up for certain groups in our society and not standing up for all in our society.”“The huge mistake we’ve made, we have played the game of identity politics and identified groups, whether it is by ethnicity or sexuality or whatever you might want to call it, rather than say, ‘we stand up for everyone in this country and that includes you, the white working class’." 

Of course  he claimed..

“It doesn’t matter what the colour of your skin is or what your background is."What matters is that you’re poor and you’re disadvantaged and we’ve got to be there to help and engage with every single one of you – not just those who seem to have been taken priority over others.”

But he seems to believe that identifying people who have been daily   discriminated   against is a mistake

Mr Kinnock said Britain could learn from Donald Trump's election in America and suggested that Hilary Clinton's mistake had been to only “shout out” to certain communities in America. 

He said.

“If you are going not do it you better make sure you list of every group in your population. If you don’t - the results will be very clear at the ballot box"

Basically he's saying the likes of the Mail, Express and Sun have won the argument and Labour should abandon supporting communities that are at threat for fear of losing the vote of some White working class voters.

Here's his tweet again   

 

ProgressOnline‏@ProgressOnline

.@SKinnock We must move away from multiculturalism and towards assimilation. We must stand for one group: the British people. #progpolitics

Imagine If a Plaid or SNP MP had substituted "British" for Welsh or Scottish.

Stephen's daddy Lord Kinnock of Baron Kinnock, of Bedwellty , would be screaming.

I told you.I told you what these Nationalist were like , with their narrow, even racists views . What we want is internationalism.

Of course Daddy Neil , Internationalism really stopped at Dover.

In 2001 when first standing for the Rhondda Labour MP Chris Bryant , threatened to sue the Plaid Cymru candidate Leanne Wood (Whatever happened to her?) for referring to him as  a British Nationalist.

I thin if Stephen Kinnock views are anything to go by we will have no worries about referring Labour as a British Nationalist Party.