Cardiff Labour: Split down the middle.

There has been no clear news on the actual numbers who voted on the attempted Coup  by some Labour members on Cardiff against leader Heather Joyce as I commented on Tuesday

The  size of her win over the challenger, Riverside backbencher Phil Hawkins, was not disclosed to the 46 Labour councillors at the group’s AGM.

However according to Wales Online Several Labour sources, however, said last night that Coun Joyce won the ballot by 24 votes to 22, meaning the vote of a single councillor could have tied the contest."As reported, the deputy leader election remains undecided. After two rounds the incumbent, Trowbridge’s Ralph Cook, remains tied with Canton’s Ramesh PatelBoth camps will spend this week lobbying to secure the extra vote they need, but Coun Patel is now considered the favourite when voting resumes at a second meeting on Monday.Although their bid to topple Coun Joyce and snatch the top job failed, the rebel challengers were last night claiming they were the real winners from Monday’s elections by a score of 2-1.

Not only does the deputy leader post remain tied, but Mary McGarry defeated Russell Goodway for group treasurer and Sue Lent comfortably beat Gretta Marshall to remain chief whip".

I suspect that if Councillor Joyce had one by a margin of over 10  Then Labour would have announced at a special convened press conference 

 Labour group secretary Coun Keith Jones ,however seems to believe the Electorate of Cardiff should not be told of the extent of the revolt  on their Council

He said:

“Councillor Joyce was democratically re-elected as Labour Group Leader at the group’s AGM. She has the support of the entire Labour group as Labour continues to deliver on it’s manifesto commitments to the people of Cardiff.
“Already the Labour council led by Coun Joyce has delivered a freeze in council tax, introduced a living wage for council employees, protected green spaces in Cardiff by designating Queen Elizabeth II Playing Fields, and has increased spending in education and social services.
“The Labour Group will never comment on idle and unfounded speculation as to the internal workings of the Labour Group. The economic challenges facing the council are too grave for us to spend one second pandering to malevolent gossip.”

So that's alright then. 

Still the rebels have a strong platform in which to alter the balance of power in their  favour of the rebels on Monday when the committee chairmanships are also elected by Labour councillors.

The nine-strong Cabinet are not able to cast vote for these £22,000-a-year jobs, meaning the rebels have a clear path to appoint their own people.

Councillors Michael Michael and Bob Derbyshire, known to be loyal to Coun Joyce’s administration, look likely to lose their positions as chairs of the Planning Committee and Environmental Scrutiny Committee respectively, while the Lord Mayor Derrick Morgan is stepping down as chair of the Licensing and Public Protection committees.

So it means that even if the Rebels win there will be a number of embittered Councillors sulking in the backbenches and glaring at their supposed colleagues  who ousted them.

It may be that is is a row between Councillors of the Left and righrt , the latter unhappy with the extent of the Council cuts

But from the outside it looks like a case of ambition on both sides a nd the Labour Group now consists of two opposing fractions.

A Collation in fact  not of diffrent parties or ideology but of those who see their ambition being met by a diffrent leader.

Does Cardiff real need to be run by a bunch of councillors who seem to be putting their own political future above the interests of the people who elected them only a year ago?

Brown: "Scotland is "Better Together" even under the Tories"

On Sunday Gordon Brown emerged from his three year sulk to Launch Labour’s campaign for the UK, “United with Labour”, 

Although the former prime minister admitted that the UK still had a “long way to go” in achieving the party’s aims of social justice. He insisted:

"The best way forward is to pool and share our resources across the UK, ".

In her own speech, Scottish Labour Party leader Johann Lamont said that if she had believed social justice would be boosted by independence, she would vote Yes in the referendum.

However, she said she did not believe in “fingers-crossed politics”. She added: “Our political beliefs are predicated on fairness, equality, justice and solidarity”, adding: “I am sorry but I will not kiss goodbye to solidarity because it suits me for now, because I do not like the current prime minister.”

The launch of the campaign is designed to focus specifically on Labour voters as the party seeks to persuade supporters to stick with the UK at the referendum next autumn.

Mr Brown argued that: "Scottish Labour figures from Keir Hardie on had defended the UK system: 

Was Keir Hardie wrong, stupid, naive? Were all these early Trade Union leaders seduced by the English establishment? Were they conned? Were they brain-washed? No, they understood a belief in equality of opportunity and a belief therefore that we had Scottish values that could be best realised inside the UK.”

Forgive me if I am wrong, but I was always under the Impression that Kier Hardie, was a supporter of "Home Rule  Allround"

Whilst they may not have been total  Independence it did  not make Hardie a Unionist. and it doesn't.t now.

Browns argument  “if that if Scottish Labour supporters vote to leave the UK it would mean abandoning “will also suggest staying within the Union would mean it was far more likely that the Conservatives would be voted out at Westminster at the next general election, which would benefit Scotland as a whole”.

So that's it . Finding themselves embarrassed by joining a Platform of "Better together" with the Tories Labour in Scotland put forward an argument that  despite Labour being in power from 1997 -2010  amd they had “long way to go” in achieving the party’s aims of social justice, failure is better than hope.

But the idea of saying that voting  for Independence  would abandon England to the Tories  means that you could equally  say to English voters "Don't vote Tory  as the Scots don't want a Tory government".

And as for  Johann Lamont  argument that:

 “I am sorry but I will not kiss goodbye to solidarity because it suits me for now, because I do not like the current prime minister.”

What solidarity . How can it be that we have a case that despite there being only one Tory elected in Scotland since 1997 . Scottish (and Welsh) voters have to hope voters in England will vote for Labour in order to get Social Justice measures that the latter have constantly failed to carry out  when in power and who spend the entire time courting "Middle England" trying to convince natural "Tory" voters that they shared their Values

And what of Wales? It will be true that an Independent Scotland will leave us to almost permanent Tory rule but the Scots would have given us the Key to the problem,. in that we should follow them in voting for Independence.

The argument that Scotland is "Better Together" waiting for a true socialist Labour  government is laughable.

Cardiff Labour Split But By How Much?

Cardiff Council  Labour  leader Heather Joyce tonight survived a backbench Labour rebellion to keep her job as the leader of Cardiff council, 

Labour’s 46 councillors voted in a secret ballot at County Hall and applause apparently broke out when the result was announced at

The margin of Coun Joyce’s victory over Riverside’s backbench councillor Phil Hawkins was not disclosed to the group.

So even they are in the Dark let alone the General Public.

However there is a strong indication of the  disquiet in the ranks  as Trowbridge’s Ralph Cook,, still faces a battle to keep his job as deputy leader of the council. After two rounds of voting, he remained tied with challenger Ramesh Patel

And n other results, former council leader  Russell Goodway  widley seen as the  was Éminence grise on the Labour group was ousted as group treasurer by Plasnewydd’s Mary McGarry.

So should we be told what all the voting figures were.?

Normally it would be an internal Labour Party election of little interest and up to  the Party whether to publish them but surely  the electors of Cardiff need know whether the party is split to the extent that it affects the running of the council.?

Phil Hawkins has an impressive CV  just his political career spans the whole length of the UK (Thanks to Mike Cridland who pointed me to this),

 

2012 -	Member, Children & Young People and Economy & Culture Scrutiny Committees, Cardiff Council
2012 -	Councillor, Cardiff County Council, Riverside Ward
2007	Candidate, Argyll & Bute Council, North Kintyre & The Islands ward
2000 - 2003	Deputy Leader of the Labour Group, Colchester Borough Council
2002 - 2003	Councillor for Wivenhoe Cross Ward, Colchester Borough Council
2002 - 2003	Member, Planning and Standards Committees, Colchester Borough Council
2001 - 2002	Cabinet Member without Portfolio, Colchester Borough Council
2001	Parliamentary Candidate, North Essex Constituency
2000 - 2001	Chair, Best Value Review Panel, Colchester Borough Council
1999 - 2000	Member, Planning and Human and Financial Resources Committees, Colchester Borough Council
1999 - 2002	Councillor for Wivenhoe Ward, Colchester Borough Council
1996 - 1997	Member, Essex Environmental Forum
1995 - 1997	Member: Planning, Licensing, Social Services (LGR), Libraries (LGR) Committees, Southend Borough Council
1996 - 1997	Labour Spokesperson, Highways & Transport Committee, Southend Borough Council
1995 - 1997	Vice-Chair, Community Services Committee
1995 - 1997	Councillor for Milton Ward, Southend Borough Council
1994	Agent, Borough Council Elections, Southend Borough Council
1994 - 1999	Member of the Co-operative Party
1993 - 1995	Delegate to Southend Constituency GC
1993 - 1995	Chair, Milton Ward Branch, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
1988 -	Member of the Labour Party

He has been a member of three councils and seems to have a political ambition which is extraordinary .

One wonders how settled he is in Cardiff and how long before he's off somewhere else where work commitments take him.

Certainly for a Councillor  who  was only elected  last year to challenge for the Leadership pf his party on the Council and De Facto becoming the boss of Wales' largest Council  speaks volumes of his ambition.

Perhaps Labour Councillors, were wise to stick with their current leader for now ?

But it may all well repeat itself next year and it looks like a deeply divided party.

How frightened are Welsh Tories of Ukip?

Why are Conservative MPs preparing to vote for an amendment criticising the Queen's Speech for not including a bill paving the way to an EU referendum?

Aberconwy MP Guto Bebb will support a backbench amendment in the Commons, although he argues that he is not an EU rebel, but in the Tory mainstream.

Cardiff North MP Jonathan Evans  amf  Montgomery MP Glyn Davies will probably vote against the amendment.

David Davies is undecided, while and Wales Office ministers and  Clwyd Wes MP David Jones and Preseli Stephen Crabb will abstain.

The other two other Conservative MPs Vale of Glamorgan Alun Cairns and Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Simom Hart have yet to declare their their voting intentions.

But  why this are they doing this?


The Coalition, cannot as theLib Dems will not  agree In/Out referendum before 2015, hold such a referendum before the next election.

Of course a large number of Conservative MPs are looking at Ukip and the threat it posses to their seats 


2010 Election Click on below it should appear.

A couple of Thousand votes for Ukip most of which would come from "Natural Tories coupled with a general swing to the other Parties would see doom to most Tory MPs.

So we are probably seeing a desperate bid for these Tories to establish their Euro Sceptic credentials.

Hopefully they will not relaise that teh main support for Ukip comes from those opposed to Immigration.

Otherwise we will se some very unpleasant comments coming from the mouths of a large number of Tory MPs as they move further to the right to apease those supporters of "The Naty Party"  who are considering voting for an even Nastier party.

Eisteddfod in London? Can'rt see it.

Labour's Ken Skates and Susan Elan Jones, who represent Clwyd South in the Assembly and Westminster respectively, a have come up with the argument  that  the  Eisteddfod should be beyond Wales for the first time since 1929.

The Welsh Government, which helps fund the Eisteddfod, has launched a group chaired by Roy Noble to examine the future of the festival. It is due to report in September, and the Clwyd South duo suggest that holding the event outside Wales for an eighth occasion could raise the profile of the nation.

Mr Skates said: 

“The National Eisteddfod is as popular and important in 2013 as it ever has been. We were lucky enough to have the festival in Wrexham in 2011 and it helped bring in a much needed cash boost of over £1m for local businesses.
“This year’s festival in Denbigh is shaping up to be a similar success. What we should do now is use its strength and pulling power, even if it is just once every 10 years, to take the Eisteddfod outside Wales to help more people understand Wales, its language and its culture.
“The Eisteddfod could be taken to Liverpool or to London. They both have very strong cultural connections with Wales and a significant expat community with a thirst for Welsh culture.
“Such a move would be in keeping with the recent modernisation of the National Eisteddfod with the addition of Maes B and decision to allow alcohol to be served on the festival site.
“Given the challenges thrown up by the 2011 census which showed a fall in the number of places where over half the population could speak Welsh, we have to innovate to keep the National Eisteddfod the strong cultural brand that it is.”

Susan  Elan Jones said: 

“So long as there are no changes to the Welsh rule and there is a serious bid from an expatriate Welsh community, I certainly think this idea should be considered".

And that may be the problem


 For years the National did most of the honouring through English, and the position seemed to be worsening.  during the thirties and there were worried that English would entirely dominate the event   Out of their discussions, in 1938, came a new rule for the Eisteddfod: “Welsh shall be the official language of the Council (and the Eisteddfod” the  All-Welsh Rule.  however not until the 1950 National at Caerphilly, twelve years after the Welsh rule had been adopted, did it come into anything like full effect, and then only for events on the platform of the main pavilion

To take the Eisteddfod to Liverpool or London would need a great deal of cooperation and financial aid probably financial support  from the local authorities.

I can't see them doing this without insisting on the dropping  or suspension of the all  Welsh rule .

Taking the Eisteddfod outside Wales  may " help more people understand Wales, its language and its culture". But it may simply open up the Eisteddfod to quasi racist mockery from the English media.

In 2002 at the ST Davids event  the Sun portrayed  the then Archbishop of Wales, and Archbishop Elect of Canterbury, joining the white order of the Gorsedd of Bard as  joining a pagan sect. 

Would taking the Eisteddfod to London open their eyes or simply confirm their prejudices .

Its an Idea but only an Idea and I can't see it ever coming off. Basically it looks liket two politicians desperately trying to get their names in the papers.

Do Plaid still have nothing to Môn about?

So I was wrong it seems . Plaid will not be  be the leading party in coalition on Anglesey rather it has fallen for Labour to fall into bed with the independents  .

The "Independents " in the old council consisted of a number of different groups who were often at war with each other. Which led to the poor performance of the council and the Assembly Government sent in to run the council.

Indeed it was so bad on the Council it was deemed that it was necessary to change the boundaries  for the council wards from largely one seat to three seats wards and reduce the number of councillors from 40 to 30 in order to bring to the end what was sen as the personal fiefdoms of the Independent councillors .

According to Syniadau  last week saw the election of 3  potential type of Independent s.

Original Independents re-elected (6 in total)
Aethwy: Jim Evans
Llifon: Richard Dew, Gwilym O Jones
Lligwy: Ieuan Williams, Derlwyn Rees Hughes
Talybolion: Kenneth Prichard Hughes

Unaffiliated Independents re-elected (3 in total)
Bro Aberffraw: Peter Rogers
Bro Rhosyr: Hywel Eifion Jones
Caergybi: Bob Llewelyn Jones

New independents (5 in total)
Bro Rhosyr: Victor Hughes
Twrcelyn: Richard Owain Jones, Will Betws Hughes
Ynys Gybi: Dafydd Rhys Thomas, Jeffrey M Evans


The new council sees the Independents now listed as a group with only Gwilym O Jones formerly with the "Originals" now listed as  Unaffiliated  

The new council also consists of one lone Liberal Democrat Aled Morris Jones who has been part of the "Originals" grouping ,

Depending on whether Aled Morris Jones joins the ruling coalition it means that the Independent/Lab coalition has  either a 2or 4 seat majority which may prove difficult if they start fighting amongst themselves again.

Plaid may feel bitter towards Labour who are joining with some of the former discredited councillors but Plaid would have had to have more than just 3 Labour councilors  to form a majority.

Plaid may well sighing with relief and thinking that in the long run it may be better to be seen as effective and  United opposition and wait for the new council to fall apart aiming to win an overall majority next time.

The luxury of opposition lies with them and this time they can point to Labour supporting the whole farrago as it slowly falls apart.

David Jones MP, get his retaliation in first,

I was going to comment on the news that the 3 Labour councillors on the Anglsey Council have agreed to go into Coalition with the Independents rather than Plaid. But I thought I'd wait to find out the full combination first ' So probably tomorrow.

So instead I thought I'd look at the news  that Wales' most senior Conservative MP says councillors in Conwy should consider their positions after a series of costly issues.

Clwyd West MP and Welsh Secretary David Jones cited overspending on a bridge, legal battles over Colwyn Bay pier and a £125,00 grant handed to a conman.

He said councillors were "shrugging their shoulders" on the issues.

But the council said he is trying to make political capital and "find something negative".

Mr Jones made the comments after the latest court case about who owns Colwyn Bay pier.

Conwy council signed a deal to buy it in March 2012, but on Wednesday, a High Court judge ruled that another court hearing will be needed before a challenge from its former owner can be resolved.

He said:

"I think that the council have got a duty to the council tax payers of the county to make sure that they're getting value for money," 

Interesting this attack comes out on the same day that Mr Jones  has made the largest capital gains repayment to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) as a result of the increase in the value of a London property.

The Clwyd West Conservative MP paid Ipsa £81,446 but claimed that he had made a loss on the sale of his Westminster base.

Ipsa moved to ban the use of Commons expenses to pay mortgage interest in May 2010, in the wake of public fury over “flipping” and other abuses.

However, transitional arrangements were put in place permitting MPs elected before 2010 to keep claiming the money up to last August – as long as they agreed to return any potential capital gain.

Mr Jones said:

 “I haven’t made a penny profit out of it. In fact, I’ve made a loss out of it.”

So it looks to me that Mr Jones was getting his retaliation in first in order to divert any negative criticism. 

Perhaps the electors of Clwyd West should take Mr Jones comment of "value for money " to heart".

.