Matt O’Grady is away this week and has asked me to do his blog summary. I had hoped to have a look at the big policy discussons that had dominated the blogs this week but, unfortunately, this has not been a good week for political debate.
Firstly, we saw the most recent release of AMs expenses. The full database can be found here but the expense revelations are full of the absurd as well as the dubious. To my mind, Freedom Central highlights the one with the biggest questions to answer, namely Nick Bourne’s missing website. Kirsty Williams also points out that Ministers may be getting away with not being quite as open as they would like us to think.
And if it’s not been a good week for politicians, it’s been a pretty awful week for one politician in general.
He began by definitely not being accused of lying by Huw Lewis in plenary, and then, as Peter Black points out, missed a crucial debate on the Government’s response to the Economic Downturn, which is the worst shorthand for recession I’ve seen in a while. As Betsan Powys observes, this may well be the point at which his reputation really began to slide.
The week also ended with ‘unnamed Labour sources’ suggesting that it might be necessary to bring the Welsh Lib Dems into the One Wales government to help sort it out. Freedom Central argues that it is because Ieuan isn’t up to being Economy Minister, Simon Dyda suggests it is because the Western Mail had a few spare column inches that day.
Bethan Jenkins and Vaughan Roderick both comment on the issue, with Vaughan looking at the possible effect in 2011. Personally, I think the story is a reflection of frustrations in Labour at Ieuan Wyn Jones’ performance as Minister and Labour’s performance as electoral campaigners.
There are a few bloggers who did try and tackle policy discussion though. The main one is the debate that has been stirred by David Melding’s latest book, which argues for a full Welsh Parliament in a federal system. I have always thought that this is the way forward and interesting other comments come from Clive Betts and Dylan Jones-Evans. Unlike them, I really don’t believe that David Melding has the rest of the Conservatives on board yet, but I am happy that some else is seeing the value of liberal policies. Peter Black also contrasts David Meldings’s work with work by Prof. Alistair Cole. The Three Dewis report that Dafydd Elis-Thomas has supported establishing devolution in England.
Gareth Aubrey has two blog pieces on trains, the overall tone being that the current system is a failure and the Government / train companies need to be more ambitious in providing services. The Half-Blood Welshman suggests that the way the nationalisation of the east coast mainline has been handled has double-standards attached.
Carwyn Jones talks about the importance of community pubs, presumably inspired by the victory of the recent Save the Vulcan campaign.
Felicity Waters posts on Freedom Central about the untransparent nature of the new NHS National Advisory Board.
In international affairs, Adam Price discusses the importance of the Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran and Bethan Jenkins reflects on the situation in Gaza. Peter Black also dismisses Conservative ideas about a voucher scheme for international aid. Although it is important to note that only Adam has a vote on international matters, I firmly believe that AMs should express an opinion on these matters to help complement the debate and to help reflect the views of their constituents.. If nothing else, they would avoid the hot water Rhodri Morgan got into over the Iraq War a few years ago.
Hopefully, next week will see a more constructive week on Wales’ blogs which I am sure Matt will sum up in his usual style. And with heavy metal references.
Ben Lloyd is the Policy Officer for the Welsh Liberal Democrats, he writes in a personal capacity.
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