How deeply unfit politicians are – as a class of people – to have ...

... any role in press regulation.

Grant Shapps, Iain Duncan Smith and David Cameron line up against the very foundations of modern democracy.

Grant Shapps' appalling threat to the BBC this weekend shows what happens when barren intellects find themselves with some degree of control over a free media. He effectively threatened to take away its rights to the licence fee unless it provide more favourable coverage of the go vernment's policy programme.

Iain Duncan Smith, whose bullying tactics include demands for control over the words the BBC uses in news reports.

David Cameron, who has hitherto been commendably restrained and pensive in this debate, threatened to force the Guardian to stop publishing stories about the gross violations of privacy committed by our security services.  (politics.co.uk)

In Wales Andrew RT Davies (Conservative) said the BBC has a "near monopoly" on reporting devolution and should be scrutinised by Welsh politicians.

Plaid AM for South Wales West, has said "I think we need to have more control over our media here in Wales adding she believed in devolved broadcasting."

... so the feelings of Westminster Conservatives are reflected by Conservatism in Wales and Plaid Cymru, what about Carwyn Jones ...

... he has said "

"We must ensure that the BBC gives the people of Wales the service that they should receive in order to ensure that they know what goes on in their own country"

So whether its the press or broadcasting, our politicians are not comfortable without control of information that might be political or information that might be critical of political activities, Carwyn is as usual ambiguous, or at least fence sitting, I wonder if he has (or his familiars) ever contacted BBC Wales to hide criticism; a bit of a quiet man is Carwyn, my guess is he is uncomfortable with democracy as Grant Shapps, Iain Duncan Smith and David Cameron.

Dissent needs a platform much like the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

L.Wood ... such a gift

 ... what a Postal Prat

... Welsh not British produced the original, I'm sure opponents of Plaid can carry on the theme at the next election.

Such a gift, Leanne "one's foot in one's mouth" Wood.

Thank the Lord for Leanne ...

... Wood, with such articulate leadership ...

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-24295595


... Plaid needs hell to freeze before taking office, again, thank the Lord.

Morgan out, Price in, musical ...

... chairs at Plaid.

BBC report, my prediction....

And the reason Plaid ...

... decided to ditch their traditional support in favour of courting the Lefty vote of Wales ...

... the two colour map of Wales !

... the Grey of no overall control (dominated by dissent, disagreement and cultural dreams), and the unambiguous red of the Labour Party.

Plaid thinkers and policy makers believe the only way to power is via the valleys of the South, fortunately for political Wales Amazon is subverting nationalism, other casualties of this subversion include the high street and out of town shopping !

Is this an example of economics controlling politics ?

A new constitution for Plaid is a ...

... little too late to save its bacon, as I wrote at the BBC blog of David Cornock:

One of the reasons nationalism in Wales is a lost cause rests with the internationalism of culture, when the e-reader recently came of age with the "Fire" version, culture as epitomised by the Plaid movement was lost to the film-makers of Hollywood and Far East programmers ...

What is expected by political pundits is a lurch to the left in an attempt to garner the traditional Labour faithful disenchanted by a decade, or more, of the party settling into the centre of political life;  unfortunately for the 5% who yearn for separation, the majority prefer the comfort of belonging to a larger family that is Britain.

Adam Price, ...

... one-time politician, separatist, adviser [to Leanne Wood] who likes to talk a great deal, had much to say this Christmas.

... but when the blue smoke is driven away by the breath of sanity, and the Plaid mirrors covered with a cloth of reality, there is very little substance remaining.

It is where he is reported as saying :

"As a nation we lack self-confidence because of the weakness of our economic position."

... it begins to unravel, much like a woollen thread caught on a briar.

... the only lack of self-confidence is with our lack-lustre politicians.

... he continued :

"Nations that lack self-confidence do not tend to back independence."

... over optimism here, with only a few percentage of the population interested in separation he could have written :

"People who realise separatism only changes the face of government, do not tend to back independence."

Not content with boring the pants off readers who might stumble on his particular politics he goes further, presumably to send people to sleep :

Wales is the only one of them [ the regions of Catalonia, the Basque Country, Scotland and Flanders ] where independence isn’t realistically on the current agenda, for a combination of historical, economic and demographic reasons.

I'm afraid Mr Price needs a reality check, its not a combination of reasons we choose not to join the separatist movement, its straightforward, we feel more at home with Britain than a

 "Price-Wise Wales" !

The further up the flagpole you climb ...

... the more of your ass is exposed, words of General later President Eisenhower, so my guess he knew all about leadership, its ups and its downs.

So for the errant Plaid AM, consideration might be given to a valuable Eisenhower quotation ...

A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both

Back down to earth and there is ...

Gerry Hassan (15 October 2012) wrote an open letter to Alex Salmond the Scots pretender to its political throne, the title ...

'Independence is about cultural and societal transformation'

... might generate a soupçon of interest from the political pundits scattered around the various halls of government, but to the little people the closure of Hall's of Broxburn meat factory in West Lothian has real interest, particularly the fact that the Scottish SNP led administration were unable to influence the decision making process of the Dutch owners Vion.  Impotent in the face of international business interests.

Unable to demonstrate real time leadership in 2012, what chance these very same politicians will be able transform Scotland's culture and society ...

.. absolutely zero !

Scottish independence is political in the narrowest sense, it has no benefit for the little people whose life will continue as before, in a 21st century serfdom with much the same masters !

 

Simon Thomas, Plaid Cymru, its ...

... education spokesman wrote in today's Western Mail :

Time for delivery 

SIR – The Party of Wales wants to ensure better outcomes when it comes to literacy and numeracy (“Minister demands 15% rise in GSCE grades”, Oct 11 ). 

However, it is clear from the draft Welsh Government budget that there is to be no increase in the resources dedicated to literacy and numeracy.

In addition, the much vaunted regional consortia, which were supposed to support poorly performing schools in Bands 4 and 5, are not yet fully operational. How will the Welsh Government deliver on their plans for literacy and numeracy on a standstill budget and with no progress on the ground?

This is yet another ambitious target with no resources or plan of how to get there. The Welsh Government has been wringing its hands about poor attainment by Welsh pupils for too long; it’s time for delivery and measurable improvements. 

It's unfortunate for the people of Wales that Plaid Cymru 9 (it seems to be dropping "Plaid Cymru" and is rebadging itself as the "Party of Wales" when it corresponds with the wider world) has no solution to the problem.

Whereas Gareth Williams (studying History and Politics at Oxford University) has this to say about the Welsh Baccalaureate, a qualification supported by Plaid Cymru.

It could be that politics in Wales should speak to students before meddling further in the education of Wales.

A tale of two statements ...

... from across a political divide:

First we have ...

... vision of a standard national exam system will ensure that qualifications are only awarded to students with appropriate levels of literacy and numeracy. This change can deliver fairness and transparency, which is what our education system desperately needs.

... then there is ...

... should be a test of the ability of pupils rather than of their teachers, assessing independence of thought and response rather than be a regurgitation of prepared answers, and that it should develop scholarship and curiosity.

The first from the separatist agenda of Plaid Cymru the second in support of the Conservatives at Westminster ....

No difference, would there be a difference if Plaid took Wales to independence, I don't thinks, it would be "same crap just a different day" .............

... a magnificent mediocre piece of Plaid rhetoric by ...

... Wood and Company, I sense the hand of moderators, I sense the hand of Price shackled by the Plaid faithful afraid who fear her triumphant victory earlier this year ....

 ... during June this year Wood announced:

Wales will be independent within a generation and part of a British "neighbourhood of nations".

... this weekend Plaid-speak is of:

• A new mutual[s] bringing together the best of the skills of the public and private sectors to push forward a Welsh New Deal in order to kick-start the economy.
• Establish a home grown series of new finance institutions to fill the void left by the London-based banks’ reluctance to lend to fledging businesses.
• Seek to create tax breaks for pension funds investing in Wales.

 Maybe Plaid-speak should be replaced by Politico-speak, because the words lack the virtue that honesty brings to a conversation.

The mutual is not the creature of politics, it is the manifestation of the working man and woman deciding to take the future into their own hands, occasionally the mutual might be the creation of a philanthropist, John Spedan Lewis created the John Lewis Partnership, so how does the Wood-Price partnership propose to create this brave new mutual world from the markets of the world.

Much like the mutual vision, the Politico-speak of the Wood-Price partnership is a shallow pond of political thought floating on the assumption that the electorate are in a permanent state of sleep.  Why do I believe this, well, creating new financial institutions requires capital, the only way a politician has to create such a beast is to either fund it with our taxes or to guarantee its borrowings with our taxes.  This is close to deception.

Tax breaks from the creatures of the left, this has to be an oxymoron, its not tax breaks that the electorate are looking for, its tax equality, we need all tax breaks to be removed, we need taxes to be paid by everyone and every organisation ...


No stakeholder politics from Plaid, I wonder what Carwyn Jones is planning for the peoples of Wales?


... but going back to Woods predictions of independence within a generation,there's nothing from Brecon to encourage the Plaid Party faithful or worry Plaid's political adversaries, Plaid is regressing to its activist past .................

Leanne Wood flounders in...

... the face of indifference and takes a new tack in the separatist pursuit of independence.

Unable to get close to convincing the electorate of Wales that her vision for a Welsh Socialist State is preferable to our inclusive United Kingdom, even with the unsavoury aspects of life currently on peoples lips, she and her tiny separatist cabal have been unable to lift support much above a whisper amongst the electorate.  Her answer to Indifferent Wales is a call for Independence Light, she's obviously taking tips from that Scots blowhard Alex Salmond, a confidence trick, smoke and mirrors, a poor an attempt at political disguise.  Scotsman letter from Wood.

And this is how  ...

... much like the Scots Nat's who realise the majority of people quite like being part of our United Kingdom, the Plaid leadership looked for and found a new card to play in the chase for the hearts and minds of the peoples of Wales ...

... the neighbourhood of nations.

The message says "come with us but stay with them!"

... an illusion of course, there seems to be the misconception that post independence the constituent parts will continue much as before, that there will be a brotherly love.....

Will Scotland keep the industry post independence, will it keep the Royal Navy on the Clyde, will it be able to influence the UK Treasury, of course not ...

... it will not be Britain, great or otherwise.

Wood, and presumably Plaid, believe that statehood is a form of straitjacket, her solution is simply to remove the straitjacket of the United Kingdom ......... and replace it with another straitjacket of her "Socialist State of Wales".

Her logic is as flawed as her rhetoric, Plaid is moving in an ever tighter spiral downwards to political oblivion, it's a shame its politicians were not content help the people of Britain making a better place to raise the next generation ..... but politics is not about people, its about politicians, the new aristocracy.

Plaid Cymru alliance with trade union ...

... ( PCS) is no different to an alliance between politicians and any other interest group, it is the imposition of a sectional interest upon the whole of society, in this instance the imposition of sectional interests upon civic society found in Wales.

Following a meeting between  Darren Williams, PCS’ campaigns officer for Wales and Plaid Cymru leader Monday last, he confirmed that the union was prepared to work alongside anybody they believed shared their objectives.  He confirmed that Peter Harris, PCS Wales secretary met Leanne Wood to talk informally about a few proposals for taking forward some campaigning work.

There is a darker side to this alliance, minority politics (Plaid has been reduced to a minority party in Wales) can by association with other radical minority interest groups disrupt the life of people disproportionate to any numerical influence gained at the ballot box.

Is there a positive note that democracy can bring from this alliance ...

... Wood has coupled a trade union with her political party in a public manner, there can be no doubt as to where Plaid Cymru would take Wales, to an even darker place than Carwyn Jones who yesterday suggested WAG might buy Cardiff Airport, nationalisation in the 21st century seems so out of place, so 19th century.

But we get what we vote for in a democracy ....... someone at the Assembly might like to remind the sitting members that they have a job to do that requires a quality of purpose, hot topics such as Education and Health .......... buying airports is such political bullshit ...

... is Carwyn singing to Wood .............. "move over darling" ?

Does Wales have a Plague Party ...

... in waiting, waiting for that crisis that will send the electorate over the edge into "a plague on all your houses" state of mind.

Today's (£/$) Times has an analysis of Greece where Bill Emmott writes that he would vote for the Greek Plague Party (real name Syriza), Alexis Tsipras, the young head of Greece’s Plague Party (Syriza), says that he intends to call the Germans’ to demand better terms on the financial rescue loan and so stay in the euro.  Angela Merkel is going to agree to that, particularly as she has her own plague party snapping at her heals, in Germany it is called the Pirate Party.

The commonality between Syriza and the Pirate Party seems to be a frustration born out of austerity and disconnected politicians, the aftermath of a decade or more where everybody maxed out on their finances including governments, a frustration that doesn't see any end in sight.  In Wales we have the unusual circumstance that in the face of national austerity, we have a regional administration diametrically opposed to the Westminster administration which has been dealt the most uncomfortable hand of political cards, no opportunity for a plague in Cardiff Bay.

I'm sure that our separatist party in Wales would welcome an opportunity to wear the plague party mantel if it thought it could tip the electorate over its edge into independence mode, Alex Salmond has managed a scottish pseudo plague party that might just succeed, but in Wales the commonality is we can always combine to create an opposition to Westminster, we create temporary plague parties at the drop of a hat by combining the unconventional.

For Greece its Plague Party could begin a domino effect upon the Euro where the European underbelly jumps ship, in Germany its Pirate Party is nudging the electorate to ask the question "do we need to share our prosperity with the rest of Europe?"  If I were a banker I would be dumping the Euro, if I were a industrial leader I would be looking for opportunities elsewhere, if I were the UK government I would probably be making preparations for opposition.

In Wales UKIP is probably the party in residence to take up the "Plague Party" mantel, not Plaid Cymru, UKIP can appeal across politics left to right, and there is nothing in its constitution to cause undue concern to the electorate ........ after a crisis everything would return to normal ...

... what's normal in Wales ?

Leanne Wood, what's behind ...

... the eyes,

what was behind the words when she said ...

...it would take time to come up with an economic plan "to turn around the weak economy in Wales".

"We need fresh thinking, we need new thinking,"

BBC Wales' Dragon's Eye 10 May 2012.

... watching her yesterday evening I felt sorry for her for a brief moment, then I remembered that she had appealed to the young turks of Plaid, those turks with nothing to offer other than distant social media.  I wonder, has she been abandoned by the intellectuals of her party, because for sure last nights performance was not a First Division performance, she was unprepared, lacking a brief, and the eyes ... Ieuan Wyn Jones at least spoke with a passion that sprang from his eyes .......

Could there be a clue where she said  "We need fresh thinking, we need new thinking", could it be she was appealing for help ....

I had been expecting to witness a political conflict erupting from Plaid following her recent election as its leader, to have a very real Left Wing politician in Wales politics seemed manna from heaven ......

...... such is life, my disappointment is probably less than that of the Plaid rank and file.

Plaid Cymru drubbing ...

... in Caerphilly ...

... and in the rest of Wales ?

Is it justified to label Leanne Wood ...

... as being ".. rude and bigoted" because of her very personal and shared republican values.

I don't know, but to understand the values that Mr/Mrs/Ms Watkins has I have replicated her letter written to the editor of the Western Mail, published this morning the last day of April 2012 :

SIR – I write as a Welsh-speaking Welsh woman whose roots lie deep in the culture and history of Wales, but I think of myself not just as a Welsh person but also as a member of the United Kingdom, of which the Queen is the constitutional head.

The Welsh are a race of warm, hospitable and tolerant people and as a race we must feel ashamed that the leader of Plaid Cymru was so rude and bigoted as to refuse to attend the Service of Thanksgiving held on Thursday to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The Plaid Cymru leader was just invited to attend a service, along with 600 other people, to pay tribute to a lady who has worked for 60 years in a job that she did not actually choose to do and which she has fulfilled in an exemplary fashion. She has won the respect, loyalty and, indeed, love of people not just in Britain but all over the world.

But suddenly, in Wales, Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru for less than 60 days, could not show respect for a lady who has served her country for 60 years.

I feel ashamed and embarrassed on behalf of all the people of Wales.

M WATKINS
Marine Parade, Penarth

... the original letter can be viewed here at walesonline.

Myself, the freedoms of speech and expression are too valuable to jeopardise because we might object to a viewpoint.

So Mr/Mrs/Ms Watkins, share your disgust, or shame, or embarrassment, with all the peoples of Wales, but lets not deny an alternative point of view.

Myself, I took the Queens shilling when I enlisted in the British Army so many years ago, and still feel an affection for our Monarch, but those "Freedoms of Speech and Expression" are far more important than the actions of a politician who is by definition a transitory beast ....

Plaid have been sold a pup ...

... by the supporters of community councillor Leanne Wood (aka Plaid Cymru Party Leader), she just doesn't have the polish that the First Minister has in abundance.

When she failed to trap Carwyn Jones into criticising his own Labour politicians in the Rhondda, a local issue for Woody (she's a Rhondda girl), he wanted to out Plaid's indifference to the plight of working men and women throughout Britain .... but he changed tack, from his list of "questions awkward" came his killer stroke to send her to the back of the class with a dunces cap firm on her head .....

“Does she (Leanne Wood) have full confidence in Neil McEvoy (extreme Plaid of Cardiff), someone who she’s condemned in the past?”

Her response was ....

"I’m not responding to that !"

... with crossed arms reminiscent of "Brian's" mother in Monty Python's Life of Brian.

 

Carwyn voiced the sound ....

"Aaaaaaah"

 ... laughs all round (the debating chamber and hills of Wales).

McDonalds have a lot to ...

... teach our home grown politicians, because no-matter how you view their food, and the Chicken Legend with Batavia lettuce and Spicy Tomato Salsa in a bakehouse roll makes a mouth water, they know how to get things to the customers ............

In Wales, like so many parts of the world, we have a housing crisis, at least that's how politicians refer to it ......... crisis ..........we should have a solution at hand, there are enough politicians across the political divides of our green and pleasant lands, there are ...

Plaid Cymru, the home-grown separatist party without an original idea that can be shared, it said :

It (Plaid Cymru) wants to devolve primary legislation to housing, and pledge more affordable housing over the next four years.

Liberal Democrats, the mishmash of liberal tolerance that they couple with a we know best relationship with the world, it said :

They (the Welsh Liberal Democrats) place emphasis on bringing empty homes back into use, bringing more private money into housing and protecting any new social rented housing from being sold under the Right-to-Buy scheme for a minimum of 25 years, in areas where this is needed.

Conservatives in Wales on the other hand seem to have lost the plot completely when they were reported as saying :

The Conservatives pledge to tackle the problem of 'garden grabbing' and halting inappropriate development on flood plains in the countryside.

The Labour Party come to the rear of this motley crew with help upgrading the insulation, bathrooms and kitchens of those living in social housing :

They (Welsh Labour) say it remains committed to a strong mix of social and private housing, and promises a further £1.2bn to deliver the Welsh Housing Quality Standard for all council and housing association tenants across Wales.

Now to be fair, the current Welsh Assembly Government has put its toe into the waters that hold a real solution for those in need of good homes, I reported it last Tuesday, the Ely Project.  The only things this excuse for governance had to stump up was a loan of £6 million (chickenfeed by political standards), and I think public sector land, why no other plans ?


Now back to McDonald's, I wonder what they would do if they were sitting in Cardiff Bay with the "motley crew", I think they would have a programme up and running within 18 months delivering at least 10,000 homes (social housing) a year for a decade.  It money for old rope, in the UK if the people living in the homes fall an bad times the government picks up the tab, it's better business than the Quarter Pounder Deluxe with Bacon, unfortunately in Wales .........

............ we have an enormous amount of political .....

..................................... bullshit .

Woody, she's currently Plaid ...

... in Wales, she is heading up a campaign to promote cycling in Wales, a laudable aim, people get fit, the atmosphere seems to be cleaner, she has a slot at the Plaid Cymru website that promotes her sitting astride a bicycle with a shiny brown leather like seat.

Scroll down the Plaid link a few centimetres, then this parody of a political party shows its shallow unimaginative approach to politics, Woody and Co. are promoting ...

... Barclays Cycle Hire (BCH) is a public bicycle sharing scheme that was launched on 30 July 2010 in London, England. The scheme's bicycles are popularly known as Boris bikes, after Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London who introduced them.

... yes, Plaid are promoting the Conservatives in London.

In anticipation of Plaid poltroons removing their political gaff, I made an image for "Wood's posterior", sorry that should read "Wood's posterity" ...

Well done Woody, I knew it wouldn't take long before your gaffs floated to the surface of our political pond, much like that pond scum that covers crystal clear water during a drought ....

So for the voters of Wales, you can get good policies directly from the Conservatives ..... or regurgitation from Plaid !