Tit for tat

Whatever the overall circumstances that contributed to the inevitable deselection of Sian Caiach, it is not just puzzling that the Plaid hierarchy has permitted such a personalised and rather damaging feud to drag on, but that no-one has taken a closer look at operations in St James’ Crescent to see who actually leaked the results of the internal election which saw Bethan Jenkins take the top slot for the South Wales West region with just 14 votes, while sitting AM Dr Dai Lloyd got 62.

Party chairman John Dixon, who has been single-mindedly pressing for Caiach’s suspension for some time hit the headlines himself last month when his work by his IT firm appeared as an £10,000 expenses item for Plaid MP Adam Price . The suspicion within the constituency is that it was someone in Caiach’s camp who tipped off the press.

Satisfaction guaranteed

Further revelations in the Gruaniad (old joke) of more hacking and gagging are no doubt added delight for spectators who enjoy watching Grub Street turn on itself. But the extent to which the News of the World is getting the same one-sided scrutiny treatment which it has meted out in the past will obviously please some more than others.

Is there anything beyond Barnet? (except Enfield)

While Assembly members congratulate each other on the transparency of their expenses system – despite the 108 different recommendations on what needs to be changed, another report is published which is likely to have far wider ranging effects on the public purse and how it gets divvied up.

The Independent Commission on Funding & Finance for Wales - a.k.a. the Holtham Commission - has published its first report entitled “Funding devolved government in Wales: Barnett & beyond”.

Overall, the report is unlikely to satisfy the opposing camps who see the present formula as a burden, a benefit or just a pig’s breakfast depending on their outlook and attitude towards the prospect of economic independence – although both will stoutly claim a victory of sorts.

But hearts will also sink among the anoraks at one of the recommendations which states that “the UK Government and the Assembly Government should jointly agree a new Ministerial concordat on the detailed funding arrangements for Wales” - especially after the minor savaging handed out today by members of the Welsh Select Committee over the "random thresholds" contained in the Welsh language LCO.

Headlines

Police officer in blackmail plot

7 July 2009

Getting it right for Wales

Strange, in light of the public interest that they helped generate, that neither the Beeb or the Western Mail provide a link to the report produced by the independent review into current 'financial support arrangements' for Assembly members. Clearly an oversight on their part.

It might be a bit slow loading as there seems to be a fair bit of interest in the contents and recommendations.

Comment from Jaxxland follows soon.

Tory two-step

The Conservatives continue to seize the agenda – and thereby the initiative – as the ground shifts again in the pre-election positioning game.

After a weekend which began with sterile countering over just who would inflict the first and deepest cut in public spending, Cameron neatly jumps on a clumsily announced government review of public bodies with specific ‘practical efficiencies’ that involves scrapping a few bureaucratic quangos or at least making them more 'accountable', i.e. less effective.

It’s a skilful switch in focus even if it does rely a little on most journalists not knowing or caring that it was the venerated Mrs T and her veggies wot spawned the phenomenal growth of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations; all of whom have an impact on our daily lives and provide around 28% of us with employment. Yet if the contradiction is ever pointed out, Cameron will simply say that the Tories had the balance right but it is Labour that has taken the practice of sustaining a system of non-accountable executive power to excess.

To many, the experience of seeing promises that a Conservative government would tackle the democratic deficit is akin to hearing Genghis Khan offering to break out the BBQ sauce. Yet perhaps it is just this sort of audacity that is needed when threatening to kick shit out the unions just doesn’t convey the same magic as it did and New Labour has pretty much finished the job of rolling back the tide of socialism anyway.

But before Conservatives wrap themselves entirely in the reformist mantle, it’s worth remembering that for every public service that went out of democratic control into the hands of non-elected quangos during their last time in office, just as many were privatised – and all the signs so far is that not much has changed their thinking in that regard.

Lacking in gravity

Cambria Politico (Bettsy to the rest of us) poses the question "Why isn't Kirsty making a bigger impact?".
Having given the matter some thought, we feel that it probably has something to do with altitude.

Follow that bus

The twists and turns of the bendy-bus saga have reached Morristion where traders claim that works to provide 'landing-stages' for the articulated vehicles is causing disruption on the roads.

But a contrary opinion comes from independent and laughingly non-aligned councillor Ioan Richard who informed the local paper that he had: "done my own research and followed it twice in my car from Morriston Hospital down through Morriston centre to the Wych Tree roundabout at peak rush hour, and I can say it went very smoothly through Morriston, without a hitch or hold-up."

A bunch of readers, most of whom seem to have a predisposition against the 19 metre-long means of transport, have not held back on also expressing their views regarding the member for Mawr via the paper's website. Some question the validity of his actions, his opinions, his definition of research and his sanity while others want to know how he feels justified in wasting his time - and that of his constituents - in following buses around an area of the city that he does not represent.

Update: Bus-chaser Ioan Richard has put up his version of events along with a ropey defence which goes along the lines of “the coalition is only finishing off what Labour started”. A claim already debunked elsewhere - but an entirely understandable attempt given that the scheme is as popular as radioactive toilet paper. We’re told that Richard is so desperate to be mayor before the next local elections that he will do anything to ingratiate himself with the ruling clique (although this apparently does not extend to giving the metro an unequivocal endorsement).

Ah well, at least when it comes to calling people a liar, he remains in a league of his own.

Bleating

Ordovicius has picked up on some of the credentials of the Taxpayers Alliance which we pointed out a few weeks ago. Strange however that the right-wing agenda of the "wolves in sheep's clothing" only became worth mentioning following criticism by an Alliance spokesperson in reaction to press revelations that Plaid, among others, receives substantial payments from AMs and MPs for office accommodation.

Headlines

Raiders hit Ann Summers and sports shop

2 July 2009

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photo courtesy: Rocky Horror Bike Race

Cuts in the community

Cuts imposed by Lib Dem-run Swansea Council are already starting to have an impact. Among the casualties are a series of successful IT classes held within the community for people who want to continue learning.

At last week’s council meeting, the education cabinet member confirmed that a “total of 44 IT courses have been cut at 8 venues throughout the County. The venues are Bonymaen Community Centre (2 classes); Bryn House (4 classes); Dynevor Centre (8 classes); Forge Fach Clydach (6 classes); Hafod Community Centre (3 classes); Montana Park Community Centre (7 classes); Waunarlwydd Community Centre (14 classes)" - which is actually only seven venues.

The budget ‘saving’ from the cuts amounts to £76,100 but we understand that a voluble member of the ruling hybrid coalition is most annoyed that most of the cutbacks are in areas that have Lib Dem or Independent councillors. He is reported to have contacted the chief education officer - or "organ grinder" as he put it - to demand a review.

Headlines

Animal set to fill vacant Quadrant unit

S.Wales Evening Post - 2 July 2009

Cheques and balancing acts

The Finance, Audit & Business Improvement Scrutiny Board of Swansea Council – a body probably unsuitable for asthmatics – today receives a report on how businessman Alun Thomas mistakenly received a cheque for £121,936.90 from the local authority back in March.

The report concludes that ISiS, a newish computerised payments system extolled by Lib Dem cabinet member Mary Jones and her techy minions managed to screw up. Or to be more exact, the people using the system screwed up inasmuch as the person creating the cheque got the details wrong and the 2 other people responsible for re-checking the details also got it wrong.

There are no significant measures suggested to prevent a repeat occurrence other than a recommendation that procedures which are already in place are actually enforced. Indeed the only workable sanction appears to be that the money was recoverable through the courts if Mr Thomas had decided to keep schtum and cash the cheque.

Not much of safeguard – and not much of a system after all, it seems.

Welsh Lib Dems left behind

Why is the Honourable member for Torbay so animated about an Arts Council for Wales grant to Swansea artist Sue Williams who has been handed £20,000 to study women's buttocks?

Surely he shares the views of the artist that more needs to be done to emulate the African approach whereby "the bottom is treated with respect; as opposed to attitudes in the West which are "trivial, sensational and sexual."

And anyway, aren't there enough Lib Dems in Wales available to comment on this clearly serious matter?

Leaving the darkside?

News belatedly reaches us of toys being thrown out of prams within the opposition Labour group of Swansea Council. It is murmured that two members stormed out of a meeting following an announcement that allegedly gave further influence to what is described by dissenters as the 'inner-shadow cabinet'.

Their threats of crossing the floor apparently came to naught following intercession by colleagues but at least one is reported to have been courted by Lib Dem and Independents who have obviously heard the same story.

Headlines

Tighter GM rules anticipated

30 June 2009

They don’t give up, do they?

The quest by the Western Mail to make the nation Bourne Free continues. Having seen a possible blood-fest spoilt by the inconvenient fact that ‘almost ‘leadership contender Jonathan Morgan accompanied Nick and others on a fact-finding trip to Brussels the paper feels that separate scrutiny is necessary. This tells us, among other stuff, that Bourne’s iPod joins the infamous duck house in being an “icon for indignation” - and we thought we specialised in dodgy alliteration.

Moving on however, it takes Betsan Powys to makes the point that the transparency which AMs are currently parading in front of their Westminster counterparts is quite a recent phenomenon.

Short distance, sizeable haul

The Assembly’s expenses get published today, and it’s only natural for attention to be focused on the Additional Cost Allowance. This is the inoffensive name for payments made towards the cost of hotel accomodation or for renting a second home plus all the associated electricity, council tax, broadband and subsistence for the poor weary AMs who cannot possible make the journey home from Cardiff to the Swansea area and back again during weekdays – when they’re not in family-friendly recess mode, that is.

According to the wizzo expenses system now available on line, the results for constituency and regional representatives in this locality are:

Andrew Davies - £0; Edwina Hart - £0; Val Lloyd - £10,010; Peter Black - £11,618; Alun Cairns - £10,275; Bethan Jenkins - £12,943; Dai Lloyd - £0

No comment from us on the disparities or reasons behind them. That is probably best left to those named to provide. Details are available here.

Taking a Liberty?

News seems to have finally broken (more or less) about the legal squabbling at Liberty between the stadium management company and the Council. Details are not available but the consensus among speculators is that the dispute is over the size of final liabilities for the company operating the 20,000 seat venue.

Comments on the Beans on Toast website are varied although a few contributors, who are presumably in the know, intriguingly mention a possible insurance scam in the making. Whatever the truth of this, the deafening silence from both sides indicates that an out-of-court deal is a likely outcome.

Our information is that the Lib Dem survival squad at Calamity Hall are already spinning the suggestion that officers “no longer in the employ of the authority” are at fault for the present situation. They need to be careful with that one – especially as a certain formal chief legal officer still lives & works in the area and will no doubt have kept a few notes on the matter.

Nerves

Dav-El (any relation to Kal-El?) says that Assembly members are nervous about expense details which are due to go on line tomorrow.

What on earth have they got to be nervous about? Ah yes – it’s all coming back now.

Hitched

Best wishes to Roberto and Beth for the future.

Strange that there's no mention on the Beans on Toast website - so far.

Blame

Michael Jackson's doctor 'in no way a suspect' says the headline

- clearly they're not talking about his plastic surgeon!!

Being REALLY Welsh

Despite previous efforts to portray himself as a right-on sort of guy who knows his sport, Mr Black fails the cred test with this inane post when everyone else is unleashing venom at how soddin’ Ronan O’Gara managed to sabotage his own side’s chances in the dying moments of the Lions’ second test against South Africa.

Things will probably subside as the evening continues by the prevailing view on the message boards at the moment is “Bring back Cromwell”.

Standards

Councillor Bill Pritchard, who is paying the penalty for his uncompromising views - and a patent lack of contrition for stating them - will probably compare his treatment at the hands of an adjudication panel with the lack of sanctions applied to property-flipping, tax-avoiding, nepotistic MPs who have a creative approach in respect of expense claims.

There is arguably little place for either attitude towards the electorate at any tier of public service but before any parliamentarians pose the question if councillors would care to exchange their code of conduct with the prospect of public trial by Daily Telegraph then they should first remember that they are responsible for bringing about both outcomes– one way or another.

Headlines

WAG plans to target poachers

Western Mail - 27 June 2009

Pride in the Park

The planned Gay Pride event in Swansea has certainly generated comment on the EP website - with most of the views being predictable, one way or another. Yet, those who recognise the power of the pink pound seem to feel that beggers (or something like that) can't afford to be choosers.

Event organisers say they expect a crowd of up to 5,000 at the city's Singleton Park with some people travelling hundreds of miles to make the all-day festival.

In view of the potential boost to local hotels & hostelries, we think that Swansea Council should at least give the event some official recognition and we would like to volunteer deputy mayor Richard Lewis to don the robes and provide a civic welcome. He looks just darling in red.

Headlines

Adam Jones: I've got the number of the Beast

Western Mail - 26 June 2009

Preaching & practicing

Interesting exercise in engagement from finance minister Andrew Davies who will today warn local authorities not to “slash and burn” their services in the face of looming public sector spending cuts.

The Assembly Government is facing a £216m reduction in its 2010-11 budget and is likely to pass on a similar sized cuts to local councils but, according to the Western Mail, Mr Davies wants an ‘imaginative response’ from civic leaders on how they can sustain and hopefully even improve services.

You can bet that a good proportion of his audience at Swansea’s Liberty stadium will be unimpressed. It is also entirely possible that one or two might even press him to first come up with examples of how his own regime has adopted the ‘lean’ working methods he espouses to "eliminate waste and unnecessary bureaucracy".

Note: You may have problems with the link as the Wales Online website is still going through temporal distortions of the Groundhog Day variety.

Jacko is Hovis

Bet no-one uses that headline

Don't give up the day job

The media-fest over expenses takes another viral-like jump whereby scornful scrutiny on the substance of claims and the employment of family members now extends to who performs certain work - as Plaid's Adam Price is finding out.

The ‘big question’ is supposedly about the propriety of whether national party chairman John Dixon should have been paid more than £10,000 in public funds as an IT consultant following expenses claims made by the Carmarthen MP. Yet to most people, the question would be whether he did a decent job and that the price reasonable for the task involved. In the absence of any suggestion otherwise then we have the answer.

Next!

Headlines

Cow methane "an untapped power source"

24 June 2009

Time warp

Does anyone at Wales Online actually read or check their website?
Most of the Wales News items are stuck on 22 June or 18 May.

Headlines

Contractors take control of bus station site

Swansea Council Press Release - June 2009