Good news everyone! ‘This week I have mostly been reading’ is back. Is it bigger and better than ever? No. It is pretty much the same, so if you want to close the window now, don’t worry, I won’t judge you. Or at least anymore than I have already judged you. Which is quite a lot. Loser.
Well, wasn’t summer shite? The weather was crap and little of interest happened within the world. Guess what? Autumn won’t be much better, and winter is very much the same, except with Christmas, which will be over-rated, Dad will burn dinner and the TV will be disappointing. But at least we are guaranteed one interesting thing happening, the Welsh Labour Leadership Donkey Race. As Betsan Powys notes, we don’t actually know when, where how or any other details, just that it will happen.
Oddest post of the week is going to Glyn Davies, who has managed to locate the whereabouts of a tumour he had removed a few years ago. Eww. Please bear in mind I have awarded him weird post of the week before reading any other blogs. I am confident that he will not be beaten. Although he does make a good point about the relationship between the Welsh NHS and the private sector.
One thing that did happen during the summer was the shock resignation of Adam Price MP, who after a brief stint in America (which I am certain Obama won’t even notice Miss Jenkins) will be attempting to head to the Bay. In this post he declares that neither him nor constituency colleague Rhodri Glyn Thomas will be backing any particular successor. In the post Mr Price also attacks the Liberal Democrats for being honest about their tuition fees stance, while ignoring the fact that his party just outright lied about them.
Cambria Politico believes that the most likely successor is Adam Price’s former advisor, Jonathan Edwards, described as a ‘staunch nationalist’ with a ‘broad knowledge of economics and considerable experience in public affairs’. I’m sure that is just what he people of Camarthen East are looking for….
Bethan Jenkins AM thinks we should close tax loopholes for the rich in order to help poorer, younger people, particularly with tuition fees. Given that Plaid no longer support the scrapping of tuition fees, and we aim to (even if we recognise that it is difficult), maybe she should reconsider her political priorities herself?
Why on earth am I a) watching and b) getting angry about the bloody X-Factor? Christ I need a life!
The Cynical Dragon believes that the Welsh Liberal Democrats need more hugs. Maybe if more people hugged me I wouldn’t be so bitter. That’s a lie, I probably would be. His review of a Tory leaflet may be short, but is well worth reading.
I (unsurprisingly) won’t agree with David Jones MP that Nick Clegg’s speech was a blown chance. I do agree that it’s obvious he wants to be Prime Minister and that it isn’t as shocking as everyone makes out that he actually said it, but aside from that, I guess Mr Jones wasn’t really listening. It isn’t easy for members, who like me, joined the party on promises to raise taxes and spend on the public, to suddenly hear that we want to cut taxes and look at tough spending choices. But what does make it easier is to have a leader who can inspire confidence that these are the right policies for the circumstances our country finds itself in. No-one I have spoken to came out of the hall lacking any confidence that our party is heading in the right direction and that we are the only party being honest with the public about what we would do in government.
But aside from that, Nick Clegg is the only leader talking about the situation young people find themselves in, and the future that awaits them. Labour gave us a minimum wage, great, but if you are young you get less. Labour gave us tuition fees. Labour gave us ASBOs. Labour put our young people on the DNA database. Labour screwed young people over again and again. After paying my tuition fees I got to work scrubbing McDonalds toilets for £4 an hour, and am now trapped in debt and can’t get a loan on a lower APR than my credit cards because Labour fucked the economy up. But the good news is, I can spend a lifetime not just paying back my own student loan, but the billions given to the banks to not lend me the money I need.
Sorry, that turned into a rant. But no Mr Jones, Clegg’s speech hit the right notes. Lets see if Gordon and Dave can manage the same.
Hopefully within the next week we will know a little more about the Donkey Race and exactly who the runners and riders are. We all know who we are expecting, but it will be interesting to see this confirmed. Given that it’s his birthday this Tuesday, it may be then we get our answer.
The latest updates on the odds from Ladbrokes are:
Carwyn Jones: Evens
Huw Lewis: 11/4
Edwina Hart: 4/1
Jane Hutt: 14/1
Which disagrees slightly from the odds given by Betsan Powys’ expert.
I’ve already said where my money is, and still think that even at these odds Edwina represents the best value, especially given the verdict of Betsans’ expert!
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