Freedom Central » Helen Mary Jones

Sisterly Love?

Freedom Central — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 04:30:40 +0000

The BBC yesterday carried what seemed like a fairly routine piece about former Assembly Member, Helen Mary Jones and her quest to find a new job so as to put food on the table for her daughter and herself:

Ms Jones has had a testing few months too and followers of her Twitter feed will have read the latest developments in her job hunt over the summer.

The former Llanelli assembly member, who lost out to Labour in May’s election, is now among thousands facing a difficult job market.

She said she signed on for Jobseeker’s Allowance with a “heavy heart”, but was quickly brought down to earth when she saw others out of work in worse situations than hers.

Ms Jones, 51, said: “Anybody out of work is anxious and if you’re a single parent you’re more anxious.

“I went to sign on with a heavy heart, but it puts what happened to me into perspective.”

She added: “You just think, ‘Pull yourself together Jones’.”

She said she wanted to turn her back on politics in the days after the election result, but was persuaded to change her mind by friends, including Plaid AM Leanne Wood.

However, she is undecided about whether she will try to return as a front-line elected politician.

She said: “I honestly don’t know. People keep stopping me and saying you will be back. I think, ‘Will I?’.

“I’m currently looking for another job. I hope it’s a job where I can make a difference. Bottom line is it needs to be paying money to keep myself and my daughter.”

So far, so very uneventful. However, one person’s reaction to this narrative has turned this into a much more extraordinary story. Writing on her Facebook profile, Helen Mary Jones’ sister, Myfanwy Alexander was less than impressed:

She signs on despite having three houses, one of which was bought for her by the tax-payer, and a year of salary to tide her over. Sorry to have to say this about a member of my own family but this is a bloody disgrace. Live on the quarter million you alone inherited from dad before asking for hand-outs.

In comments on the post Ms. Alexander elaborates on her initial thoughts. She accuses the former Plaid Cymru AM for Llanelli of building up a property portfolio for her daughter and then adds:

she talks a very good talk. She is rich yet takes dole from minimum wage tax payers. And in terms of family solidarity, she was to one who put a price upon it and not at all in a caring, socialist way.

Not the best way for Ms Jones to start a campaign to become National Chair of Plaid Cymru.

Concerns about One Wales Agreement go public

Freedom Central — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:37:34 +0000

The One Wales Government continued to follow its unusual course today with open dissatisfaction being voiced by a Plaid Cymru Assembly Member at the performance of her Labour opposite number.

Helen Mary Jones, who speaks for Plaid Cymru on health and social services felt it was necessary to go public on her concern that a key One Wales commitment could fall victim to spending cuts after virtually no progress being made in implementing it in the last two and a half years.

She pointed out that the pledge to provide at least one family nurse per secondary school has still not been put in place despite the money being available in the budget and hinted that unless the money is spent soon then it may be lost altogether:

Ms Jones said: “We’ve got the strategy. We’ve got the money in the budget – now is the time to start spending it.”

The idea is that teams of nurses will build relationships and work with pupils in both primary schools and the secondary schools which they will go on to attend.

She said: “Once we have got the nurses in place and the schools and communities are valuing them, they are a lot more difficult to get rid of. At a time when we are supposed to be valuing money, this type of proactive work is very important.”

She argues school nurses could help to identify problems before they develop into more serious issues.

Nursing teams, she said, could include members who specialise in subjects such as sexual health who could be called on when expert advice was needed. Nurses would also have an important role to play, she added, in fighting childhood obesity by promoting healthy eating.

Ms. Jones is to raise the issue with the Health Minster when the Assembly reconvenes, which is right and proper. However, when in government it is normal practice to bring up these matters behind the scenes.

The fact that Helen Mary Jones has decided to go public indicates that either she was making no progress by using the proper channels or she genuinely thinks that the commitment is going to be dropped and wants to try and force the Minister’s hand.

Is this another instance of a One Wales promise being abandoned?

One Wales starts to unravel in heat of Labour leadership contest

Peter Black — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:32:52 +0000

With Peter Hain already fighting a rearguard action to forestall a referendum it seems that the Welsh Labour leadership election has caused a full scale retreat from the commitments in the One Wales agreement by at least two of the potential successors to Rhodri Morgan and some significant prefarication by the third.

In a debate between the three candidates on ITV last night Huw Lewis made it clear that he would not push for an early referendum on new powers if he wins the contest. The formula he has devised to frustrate his potential cabinet colleagues is one poll at a time:

‘It would be reckless and wrong for a Labour leader to take their eye off the ball, and the ball in play is ‘Let’s stop the Tories gaining power at the next general election,” he said.

But Plaid Cymru director of elections, Helen Mary Jones was not amused. She said Labour had committed to supporting a referendum before 2011 when the two parties agreed to share power in the One Wales pact, that there had already been enough consultation and that the Government now needed to get on with it:

‘This isn’t a matter for internal party politics. People like Huw Lewis need to remember that the deal was supported by the overwhelming majority of his party rank and file as it was by mine… The timing of the referendum should depend on the Convention’s advice and when the referendum is most likely to be won and not on an election to another place.’

Carwyn Jones also backtracked on the agreement he had signed up to as a Government Minister, keen not to lose the vote of the 15 MPs he has already signed up to support him. He told the programme´s viewers that it is essential there is ‘broad agreement within the Labour Party’ before the pre-referendum campaign begins:

‘It’s important that we actually talk to our colleagues in Westminster and talk to our party members and to the trade unions so they feel part of the process.

‘It would be a very bad move if it was simply Labour AMs who were seen as moving the process towards a referendum without consulting without anyone else in the party.’

Even Edwina Hart was cautious, saying that the decision to go ahead with a campaign would have to be discussed within the coalition cabinet and individual parties. She did though stress her own record as a supporter of new powers, saying: ‘I have been before the Assembly was even established back in 1999. It is about powers for a purpose – I believe it so we can get on with doing things.’

The timing of the Welsh Labour leadership election could not have come at a worst time for the One Wales Government. Rhodri Morgan will still be in place when the All Wales Convention reports next month, but the decision as to how to proceed with its conclusions will rest with his successor.

It is unlikely that any of the three candidates would want to upset the rank and file so early in their tenure and with a General Election looming, nor will the role of the Secretary of State for Wales be insignificant in this process.

Although the odds of a referendum taking place within the timescale allotted by the One Wales Agreement remain good, there appear to be significant factors at play that may well sabotage this happening. It is no wonder that Plaid Cymru are getting jittery.

Support from a usual suspect

Peter Black — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:29:00 +0000

Dominic Hannigan’s point on this blog that Helen Mary Jones’ comments on her likely Labour opponent at the next Assembly elections were ageist has received some support in this morning’s Western Mail’s letters page:

SIR – So Labour has selected a 67-year-old candidate to fight Llanelli (An age-old problem for Labour man, April 28).

What of it? If he is fit and healthy that is all that matters.

He clearly is a candidate with exceptional local credentials and ability who will fight for social justice and the interests of all the people of Llanelli, whatever their age.

The response from Helen Mary Jones AM that “…I am somewhat surprised he wants to take this challenge on at this time…” is quite frankly outrageous and discriminatory.

She often talks about equality but it seems that when it comes to her own electoral interest is more than happy to make discriminatory comments by innuendo. Is she not aware that age discrimination is illegal?

Perhaps she should meet with the Older Persons Commissioner appointed by the Welsh Assembly for re-training.

What sort of message is she sending to the older people in her own constituency.

I think she should openly and sincerely apologise for her comments. If not she will not be able to be taken seriously on any equality issue again.

MICK ANTONIW
Rhiwderin

Presumably this is the same Mick Antoniw who has been selected to succeed Jane Davidson as the Labour Candidate in Pontypridd, but that does not make his point any less valid.

A strange choice of words from Helen Mary Jones

Dominic Hannigan — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:34:00 +0000

Interested to read the report in this morning’s Western Mail about the selection of a Labour Candidate for Llanelli in the Assembly Elections who will be 70 at the time of the election.

In particular, Helen Mary Jones’ comment troubles me:

“I look forward to an interesting campaign with Keith Davies as the Labour candidate, but I am somewhat surprised that he should want to take this challenge on at this time. This selection comes on the heels of the Labour Party suffering very badly in the council elections last year, and may indicate they are having difficulty finding candidates.”

Why on earth does it matter that he will be 70? Helen Mary has always struck me as a thoroughly decent person and politician so it is doubly tragic that she has resorted to plain and simple ageism in response to the internal politics of another party.

There is more than enough to attack Labour for at the moment, without the need for petty nastiness.

I am sure that her words may come back to haunt her when campaigning for re-election amongst her older constituents.