Included out

Possibly the most common reaction among the great unwashed to news that former regional AM Lisa Francis has resigned from the Welsh Conservatives will have been a blank expression. Even anoraks like us will have gone off to first check her dates before commenting.

For ourselves, and although the media plus a few politicos in opposition parties have readily bought into the claim that her exit is a protest against a lack of inclusion, comments in her blog suggest more tension over 'organisational' than ideological issues.

On the face of it, a strongly held view that “members need to see evidence that the professional party in Wales (the salaried arm of the party charged with administration) is properly performance managed" is hardly a good reason for turning your back on 12 years membership - unless other factors are involved.

Perhaps it is being overly cynical, but we think this is a valediction by someone who has not been able to get her own way on too many things for too long within the party and is now walking away. The fact that she is not (as far as we know) walking towards anyone else in the process is also significant.

Will the Sun go down on Rupert?

Sun editor Dominic Mohan pledged to continue to lead the paper after five employees were among eight people arrested - and later bailed - over alleged corrupt payments to police and public servants.

A Surrey Police officer, a member of the armed forces and a Ministry of Defence employee were also arrested.

The BBC named picture editor John Edwards, chief reporter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker, reporter John Sturgis and associate editor Geoff Webster as being arrested as part of the Operation Elveden probe into payments to police.

The Guardian, understandably, feels that the Sun is in crisis following the arrests. It goes on to quote an email to News International staff, chief executive Tom Mockridge which said he "had a personal assurance today from Rupert Murdoch about his total commitment to continue to own and publish The Sun newspaper."

Amid accusations from the National Union of Journalists that Sun staff were being sacrificed to save Murdoch's reputation, Mockridge added that he had written to the Independent Police Complaints Commission to seek clarification on its oversight of the Elveden investigation into the Sun.

Industry analysts however see the arrests as possibly having a bigger impact on News International financial fortunes as it opens up new ground for litigation.

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One Wall Street pundit is quoted in the US press as saying, "we are not too far away from the company having to decide whether it is cheaper to ditch the paper or Murdoch. Either way it is going to be brutal"

Jaw wars

Things have taken a turn for the surreal down at Swansea's Liberty Stadium with a potential clash of cultures overtaking events on the field.

A recent decision by city planners to allow a new McDonalds to be built on the stadium's doorstep has prompted a red card from the football club's chairman. He claims that the development will hinder any future expansion plans for the 20,000 seater facility.

We understand that the site in question has been penciled in as the location for a fast food restaurant for several years. Last month, Swansea City posted losses of £8.2 million. They project around £40 million income in Premier League TV rights and sponsorship this season.

The local paper quotes Huw Jenkins as stating "Swansea as a city has made too many short-term decisions over the years," he said, adding: "The council has been singing from the rooftops since Swansea City gained promotion to the Premier League about the massive benefits it has brought to the city in terms of business and tourism. Yet they make a decision which goes against everything they've been preaching. It's baffling."

He added that the move "typifies why Swansea as a city has failed to grow and develop over the years".

Swansea Council and McDonalds have yet to respond.

AWEMA statement

Written Statement from Jane Hutt, Minister for Finance and Leader of the House plus investigation report. No punches pulled (for a change) and a specific highlighting of fundamental failings in governance. These include:

• Poor governance arrangements in relation to management and to the AWEMA Management Board of Trustees
• Inadequate financial controls and processes
• An absence of key policies and procedures
• An organisational structure that does not adequately support the operations of AWEMA.

Funding is terminated with immediate effect and the next step is for the Wales Audit Office to get involved.

Ms Hutt and the First Minister are said to be hoping that this "prompt action" will be enough to mute much of the current criticism from opposition and media.

Are they really that naïve?

Stadium freebie questions not kicked into touch just yet

We hear that more allegations have been made over the extent of largesse purportedly enjoyed by senior Swansea council figures attending matches at Liberty Stadium. According to sources, suggestions of an unduly indulgent relationship between decision makers and stadium hosts prompted some angry exchanges during a licensing meeting.

The fresh outbreak of hostility follows earlier opposition demands to be told about the amount of invitations accepted by councillors & officials. They maintain that there are also unanswered questions as to what happened to the 'spare' seats accepted by councillors but who were recorded as hosting hospitality events elsewhere on the day.

Tories back in the lead, somehow

There are concerns among the official opposition that the latest YouGov poll on voting intentions which has Labour trailing the Conservatives by a single point is not so much a blip as a possible developing trend. Tories have 41%, Labour 40% with Lib Dems and Others on 8% and 11% respectively.

Although statistical purists argue that the current standings are not significantly different from previous polls which placed the parties on a par, there is a morale-sapping effect on Labour MPs who would reasonably expect at least a 5% lead given the government's current troubles.

RBS bonus kerfuffles, Huhne's exit and the looming possibility of Syrian entanglements should have put Cameron's side of the coalition on the back foot rather than ahead.

The parliamentary troops blame a range of causes, including getting wrong footed on welfare reform, for their woes. But a surprising aspect is the number who reportedly think that David Miliband's recent endorsement of his kid has been a factor(?)

Update (Wed 8 Feb): All change - Lab 42%, Con 37%, Lib Dem 9%, Other 13% (YouGov/Sun)

Sledgehammers and walnuts

We've received a couple of emails suggesting we comment on the remarkable action by Carmarthen Council's cabinet in not only agreeing to fund the cost of defending a libel action against their chief executive but also footing the bill for a counter-action.

The potential court combatants are Mark James, who was recently honoured for services to local government in Wales and blogger Jacqui Thompson who writes the award-winning Carmarthenshire Planning Problems and More blog.

Leaving aside all the sub-judice stuff, we had sort of understood the convention to be that where exchanges of legal correspondence signal that comments by an individual council officer, acting in whatever capacity, are contended to be libellous and possibly actionable, the employee concerned is advised by the LA to draw upon the support of their union or professional association.

That was also the case in Carmarthenshire before they amended their constitution in 2008 so that public money could be used in such instances.

The change came about after a similar instance in October 2007 when a libel action between Kerry & Jacqui Thompson and Carmarthenshire’s Director of Planning resulted in the couple having to apologise and cough up legal costs totalling £7,000.

For some, the idea of a local authority agreeing to underwrite the cost of defending and countering a libel action up to an unknown amount sets an uncomfortable precedent. But even if you approve of the principle involved, is it right for council tax payers to finance the cost of the sledgehammer used to crack somebody else's walnuts?

As it happens the practice is more widespread than you might think as councils increasingly find that delegatory powers within the cabinet system have greatly aided in quietly circumventing the 1993 Derbyshire Judgement, which supposedly clamped down on funding retaliatory measures.

Last March, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke introduced the Draft Defamation Bill and which contains specific provisions to stop local authorities taking the route adopted by Carmarthenshire. It has been backed by a joint committee of MPs but it is becoming doubtful if it will come into effect before the end of the current parliament. Pity.