Any mediocre team can beat an opposing 15.
A good team must be able to beat the opposing fifteen, a bad referee, the wind, the rain and Lady Luck!
Wales failed and was less than mediocre. There are no excuses!
Showing posts with label All Wales Convention; Sir Emyr Jones-Parry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All Wales Convention; Sir Emyr Jones-Parry. Show all posts
12/09/2011
18/11/2009
Sir Em Reports
Here is the long awaited Sir Em report.
£1.3 million wasted on an exercise in stating the bleeding obvious i.e. that the current system of obtaining competence for the Assembly is a dog's breakfast and sometimes referendums are won or lost on issues outwith the scope of the question being voted upon.
Will the next million pound Assembly commissioned report be on the defecatory habits of forest dwelling bears?
£1.3 million wasted on an exercise in stating the bleeding obvious i.e. that the current system of obtaining competence for the Assembly is a dog's breakfast and sometimes referendums are won or lost on issues outwith the scope of the question being voted upon.
Will the next million pound Assembly commissioned report be on the defecatory habits of forest dwelling bears?
26/06/2009
Sir Em doesn't drink in the same pubs as me!
On the S4C Welsh Language news last night there was an interview with Sir Emyr Jones-Parry of the devo committee. In the interview the benighted gent said that, in his opinion, there was little interest in the nitty gritty of devolution in the local pubs of Wales. He claims that:
Interesting conclusion when one considers that not a single one of his consultations were held in a pub!
Also interesting was that the interview was only broadcast in Welsh! The gist of the interview was reported by Betsan in English, without an English word from Sir Emyr himself!
It looks like the Welsh speaking nashies are being forewarned that the Syr Em commission is going to say NO! (Or, diplomatically - not yet!)!
However, it is clear that Syr Em doesn't drink in the same pubs as me!
He is right when he says that questions about the Health Service, The Economy, The Environment etc are uppermost in peoples minds, but in my pub the big question is What is the Welsh Assembly going to do about these issues?
Three or four years ago the people on the barstools would have asked What is the Government (-i.e. the Westminster Government) going to do about them?
The fact that it is those arseholes in Cardiff who are now blamed for all our woes rather than the arseholes in London is an important development.
On almost every bread and butter issue discussed in my local, one can guarentee that somebody will moan that The Welsh Assembly should do more
There is a major gap between the idea that the Assembly should do more and the idea that the Assembly should have the power to do more, but that gap isn't one that a committee or a commission should fill. That is the job for the politicians!
It is time for the 60 elected and well paid Assembly Members to come out from the protection of Syr Em's shield and tell us what they want, what they really, really want! And what they are going to do about it!
The people in the pubs are interested in the Lion's game, the economy, the Health Service, not devolution
Interesting conclusion when one considers that not a single one of his consultations were held in a pub!
Also interesting was that the interview was only broadcast in Welsh! The gist of the interview was reported by Betsan in English, without an English word from Sir Emyr himself!
It looks like the Welsh speaking nashies are being forewarned that the Syr Em commission is going to say NO! (Or, diplomatically - not yet!)!
However, it is clear that Syr Em doesn't drink in the same pubs as me!
He is right when he says that questions about the Health Service, The Economy, The Environment etc are uppermost in peoples minds, but in my pub the big question is What is the Welsh Assembly going to do about these issues?
Three or four years ago the people on the barstools would have asked What is the Government (-i.e. the Westminster Government) going to do about them?
The fact that it is those arseholes in Cardiff who are now blamed for all our woes rather than the arseholes in London is an important development.
On almost every bread and butter issue discussed in my local, one can guarentee that somebody will moan that The Welsh Assembly should do more
There is a major gap between the idea that the Assembly should do more and the idea that the Assembly should have the power to do more, but that gap isn't one that a committee or a commission should fill. That is the job for the politicians!
It is time for the 60 elected and well paid Assembly Members to come out from the protection of Syr Em's shield and tell us what they want, what they really, really want! And what they are going to do about it!
26/09/2008
True Wales' Untruths
There is a sweet irony in the fact that a movement calling itself True Wales should launch its campaign by making a string of untruthful claims!
The True Wales campaign claims that it is the voice of the majority that wants to see Wales remain a part of the UK. They are going to represent that true voice by campaigning against the Welsh Assembly gaining any new powers in a referendum called under the Government of Wales Act 2006!
The first untruth is the movement's claim that they are "opposed to the Assembly gaining further powers". What a crock of dung! The movement's real issue is opposition to the very existence of the Assembly. They want to see the Assembly abolished! But lending this bunch of fools support wont see the abolition of the Assembly - Abolition is not on the political agenda.
Their second untruth is that supporting their campaign will stop the Assembly from gaining further powers. No it wont! The Government of Wales Act has already granted the Assembly all the potential powers that a referendum could grant through the eLCO system. If a referendum is never held, or if a referendum is held today and Wales votes 100% NO - the potential powers in the Act remain. The Assembly will still get the powers but through a tortuous route rather than through a simple one.
The third untruth that True Wales makes is the claim that supporters of devolution all support independence. It is fair to say that some do see devolution as a step by step process towards independence. But only a fool could claim that a yes vote in a GoW Act referendum equates to a vote in favour of independence! Elin Jones, Adam Price and others have been honest enough to state that they see every step for devolution as a step towards independence; but they believe that a referendum ON independence is very far down the line. There is no way that the referendum in the offing can be claimed to be a referendum in favour of independence. The suggestion that Glyn Davies, Peter Black or Carwyn Jones (all of whom are in favour of further devolution) are crypto nationalists! It isn't just an untruth, it is a libelous lie to suggest that they are.
The fourth lie of True Wales is their claim that support for their movement is going to stop calls for independence. I believe that Wales should be an independent country. A devolution referendum - which ever way it goes - is not going to change my mind or the minds of most believers in independence! Indeed a NO vote might even be beneficial to our argument and might hasten independence. A NO vote would prove that the slowly slowly catchee monkey approach of some nationalists is an abject failure and enthuse more to support my belief that we should be campaigning for "whole hog" independence rather than siding with devolutionist unionists!
The fifth and most potent lie of "True Wales" is their false claim that
It is not unfair to categorise those who believe that their own compatriots lack even the slightest ability to govern themselves as Anti Welsh . Anti Welsh is the nicest thing one could say about them. Treacherous shits, the bottom of the dung heap, a shame and an embarrassment to their own country are amongst the kindest terms that I can find to describe them. Blogger would probably close this site down if I said what I really think about them!
The official response to the launch of the quisling cause has been rather mute.
I agree with the thoughts of John Dixon, Plaid Cymru's chair who made the obvious point a few days ago that:
If an YES campaign is needed it is needed NOW before UnTrue Wales gets a head start in peddling its lies. I can understand why more staid politicians might want to stand above the fray and not give the prats any credibility, but there is no doubt that a gauntlet has been thrown down. The "official" politicians might not want to take it up, but is that a reason for web politicos not to take up the gauntlet and run with it? One of the supposed strengths of political opinion on the www is its ability to galvanise support and create campaigns outwith the "official" channels. Can the web community pick up the gauntlet and create an enthusiastic Yes campaign?
The True Wales campaign claims that it is the voice of the majority that wants to see Wales remain a part of the UK. They are going to represent that true voice by campaigning against the Welsh Assembly gaining any new powers in a referendum called under the Government of Wales Act 2006!
The first untruth is the movement's claim that they are "opposed to the Assembly gaining further powers". What a crock of dung! The movement's real issue is opposition to the very existence of the Assembly. They want to see the Assembly abolished! But lending this bunch of fools support wont see the abolition of the Assembly - Abolition is not on the political agenda.
Their second untruth is that supporting their campaign will stop the Assembly from gaining further powers. No it wont! The Government of Wales Act has already granted the Assembly all the potential powers that a referendum could grant through the eLCO system. If a referendum is never held, or if a referendum is held today and Wales votes 100% NO - the potential powers in the Act remain. The Assembly will still get the powers but through a tortuous route rather than through a simple one.
The third untruth that True Wales makes is the claim that supporters of devolution all support independence. It is fair to say that some do see devolution as a step by step process towards independence. But only a fool could claim that a yes vote in a GoW Act referendum equates to a vote in favour of independence! Elin Jones, Adam Price and others have been honest enough to state that they see every step for devolution as a step towards independence; but they believe that a referendum ON independence is very far down the line. There is no way that the referendum in the offing can be claimed to be a referendum in favour of independence. The suggestion that Glyn Davies, Peter Black or Carwyn Jones (all of whom are in favour of further devolution) are crypto nationalists! It isn't just an untruth, it is a libelous lie to suggest that they are.
The fourth lie of True Wales is their claim that support for their movement is going to stop calls for independence. I believe that Wales should be an independent country. A devolution referendum - which ever way it goes - is not going to change my mind or the minds of most believers in independence! Indeed a NO vote might even be beneficial to our argument and might hasten independence. A NO vote would prove that the slowly slowly catchee monkey approach of some nationalists is an abject failure and enthuse more to support my belief that we should be campaigning for "whole hog" independence rather than siding with devolutionist unionists!
The fifth and most potent lie of "True Wales" is their false claim that
True Wales members chose the name because they believe those wanting Wales to remain a full part of the United Kingdom have been "unfairly categorised" as anti-Welsh
It is not unfair to categorise those who believe that their own compatriots lack even the slightest ability to govern themselves as Anti Welsh . Anti Welsh is the nicest thing one could say about them. Treacherous shits, the bottom of the dung heap, a shame and an embarrassment to their own country are amongst the kindest terms that I can find to describe them. Blogger would probably close this site down if I said what I really think about them!
The official response to the launch of the quisling cause has been rather mute.
Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones, said that there was no need to set up a Yes campaign before Syr Emyr Jones Parry commission had judged the public response to further powers.
I agree with the thoughts of John Dixon, Plaid Cymru's chair who made the obvious point a few days ago that:
Opinion polls can help to inform that judgement, but they should never be allowed to become the determinant. There is otherwise a risk that we wait until the polls show that the argument has been clearly won before we start to present the case; and I don't understand how anyone would ever expect to decisively win any argument without putting the case.
If an YES campaign is needed it is needed NOW before UnTrue Wales gets a head start in peddling its lies. I can understand why more staid politicians might want to stand above the fray and not give the prats any credibility, but there is no doubt that a gauntlet has been thrown down. The "official" politicians might not want to take it up, but is that a reason for web politicos not to take up the gauntlet and run with it? One of the supposed strengths of political opinion on the www is its ability to galvanise support and create campaigns outwith the "official" channels. Can the web community pick up the gauntlet and create an enthusiastic Yes campaign?
04/07/2008
The great the good and the resurected
The names of those who will serve on the Sir Emyr convention have been named. How exciting!
But hold on the names include Marc Phillips former Plaid serial candidate and Nick Benett former Tory MP, I'm sure that I attended the funerals of both back in the 1990's!
But hold on the names include Marc Phillips former Plaid serial candidate and Nick Benett former Tory MP, I'm sure that I attended the funerals of both back in the 1990's!
25/11/2007
Sir Emyr's Convention
I'm sure that Sir Emyr Jones-Parry is a perfectly decent person who doesn't need a sat nav to find his way around Wales. Don Touhig's campaign of kicking the man not the ball by being rude about Sir Emyr is un-needed, unacceptable and probably harm's Mr Touhig's view more than it harms Sir Emyr. However, having said that I do agree with some of Mr Touhig's doubts about The Convention.
In theory The Convention will be inclusive and will ensure that all opinions are heard. The convention may hear diverse opinion but I fear that its true purpose is to listen to just one.
Independence on the one hand and the abolition of the Assembly on the other are both legitimate views which are held by thousands of Welsh people. No matter how good an argument is made for abolition or how fervently the case for independence is made there is no doubt that The Convention will reject these views out of hand.
Some options will probably not even be put to The Convention. What the Scots call devolution max - devolving everything other than defence and international affairs will not be considered, despite the fact that this option is likely to be what is desired by many as the next stage of devolution after the referendum.
The truth is that only two options will be given serious consideration: The status quo and the option proposed in the Government of Wales Act 2006. It is a foregone conclusion that The Convention will support the GoWA proposals.
As it is a foregone conclusion what view The Convention will favour and what it will decide one has to ask whether spending millions of pounds on such a convention is the best use of public funds at a time of tight public spending.
Indeed, as the Convention actually has a practical remit that is political; to smooth over difficulties between Labour AM's and MP's and to promote the GoWA option it is fair to ask if The Convention should be paid for out of the public purse at all. The Convention in reality is a smokescreen for a political campaign and political campaigns should be financed by the supporters of the campaign, not by tax payers, many of whom may disagree with the campaign's aims.
In theory The Convention will be inclusive and will ensure that all opinions are heard. The convention may hear diverse opinion but I fear that its true purpose is to listen to just one.
Independence on the one hand and the abolition of the Assembly on the other are both legitimate views which are held by thousands of Welsh people. No matter how good an argument is made for abolition or how fervently the case for independence is made there is no doubt that The Convention will reject these views out of hand.
Some options will probably not even be put to The Convention. What the Scots call devolution max - devolving everything other than defence and international affairs will not be considered, despite the fact that this option is likely to be what is desired by many as the next stage of devolution after the referendum.
The truth is that only two options will be given serious consideration: The status quo and the option proposed in the Government of Wales Act 2006. It is a foregone conclusion that The Convention will support the GoWA proposals.
As it is a foregone conclusion what view The Convention will favour and what it will decide one has to ask whether spending millions of pounds on such a convention is the best use of public funds at a time of tight public spending.
Indeed, as the Convention actually has a practical remit that is political; to smooth over difficulties between Labour AM's and MP's and to promote the GoWA option it is fair to ask if The Convention should be paid for out of the public purse at all. The Convention in reality is a smokescreen for a political campaign and political campaigns should be financed by the supporters of the campaign, not by tax payers, many of whom may disagree with the campaign's aims.
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