Constitutional change isn't esoteric - as the ConDems know!

Whatever the result of the Scottish Independence referendum it will affect Wales for better or worse. Whether it is for better or for worse will depend on how Welsh politicians prepare for the result and that preparation should be made now by nationalists and unionists alike.

Waiting for the referendum result and playing it by ear after the fact will be bad for Wales.

I agree with Jonathan Edwards MP that the Welsh Government should be preparing for Scottish independence and putting forward a coherent vision for the Welsh nation’s constitutional future if Scottish independence happens.

Whatever one's views on Scottish Independence, it is something that could happen within the next few years. Even if Welsh Labour and Welsh Liberal Democrats were willing to bet the national debt on Scotland remaining within the Union, common sense says that Wales should prepare for the effect that Scottish independence would have on Wales if it comes to pass. Not doing so is true fantasy politics.

Peter Black, in condemning Jonathan Edwards for raising the need for the National Assembly to consider the possibility of a YES vote says:

I do know that the most urgent issues facing the Welsh Government today are the economy, an under-performing education system and the health service. Why would any sane minister take his or her eye off those problems to worry about esoteric constitutional issues?"

The ConDem government is only a year and a half old. Since its inception we have had a referendum on the powers of the National Assembly, a referendum on UK voting reform, an act that guarantees a referendum on changes to Britain's relationship with the EU, a Fixed Term Parliament, an act that reduces the number of Welsh MPs by a quarter, proposals for the election of Police Commissioners and withdrawing police control from local authorities, the establishment of the Silk Commission, and Britain being on the cusp of getting kicked out of the EU – that's a hell of a lot of constitutional change from a government who's supporters believe that constitutional matters are esoteric!

Why have the ConDems perused this wholesale constitutional change?

Because they know that constitutional change isn't esoteric – The constitution is the bedrock on which economic, social and ethical issues stand.

Peter Black's opposition to constitutional change for Wales, other than the wholesale changes imposed by the ConDems, is, in reality, an opposition to Wales having a better economic, social and ethical future based on a an alternative constitution to that offered by the corrupt UKanian State that he supports.

A Greater Advert

Peter Black AM has a bit of a thing about cats, so his latest post draws attention to Aldi's fish finger advert which features a Welsh cat, he thinks it is a great advert.

I am more interested in booze than cats, so I think that this one in the series is an even greater advert:

Secrecy and respect

On Freedom Central Peter Black AM repeats an allegation made by Glyn Davies MP last week that the reason for the lack of consultation with the Assembly Government regarding the future of S4C by UK Government ministers is because the UK ministers don't trust the Welsh Government to keep secrets. Peter and Glyn see this as a criticism of Plaid Cymru of course. Plaid ministers are being disrespectful, indeed childish according to Mr Black. This is not the attitude one would expect from someone who claims to be a liberal and a democrat.

The question I would expect a liberal and a democrat to ask is Why on earth should decisions about Welsh language broadcasting be made in secret?

Without any doubt a lack of respect has been demonstrated in the case of S4C reorganization. By making decisions about the future of the channel in secret without regard for the opinion of Welsh viewers, without consultation with those who will be most affected by the decision Jeremy Hunt has treated S4C's audience with a stunning lack of respect.

If Glyn's allegation that previous discussions at private meetings between the Culture Secretary and Plaid Cymru seemed to have become public within minutes, is true it does not show a lack of respect by Plaid Cymru; on the contrary it shows that Plaid ministers respect the people who they were elected to serve by not keeping them in the dark which seems to be the Westminster practice.

Its Peter, not Elin who should resign

Rather than calling on Elin Jones to resign following the decision of three English judges to quash the democratic decision of those elected to the National Assembly, Peter Black should consider his own position. How can he justify remaining a member of an institution that he has helped a group of hippies from outwith Wales to undermine?

The decision to stop the badger cull will cost the Assembly millions of pounds, will cause devastation to the Welsh farming industry and cause untold suffering to thousands of cows and badgers. Rather than celebrating so smugly and criticising Elin Jones Mr Black should hang his head in shame.

Badger culling

TB is a nasty disease; it causes coughing blood, overheating of the body, chronic fatigue and severe weight loss. The bacterium that causes tuberculosis is one that duplicates slowly compared to other bacterial diseases organisms, which means that the disease is one that kills slowly and painfully over a long period.

As someone who is very fond of badgers I would not wish any Brock to suffer such a long and painful death, that is why I do not understand the opposition by some who claim to be supporters of badgers to the Assembly Government's policy of culling badgers and cattle suffering from the infection.

The cull will not only ensure that the national cattle herd is free from this awful disease, but will also ensure that the national badger set is free from it too!

Opposing the cull is not going to save the herd or the set, it will just lead to cattle and badgers dying a long and painful death from a horrible disease, and potentially spreading the disease amongst the human population.

The opposition to efforts to remove the infection from the heard and the set by culling badgers and infected cows is beyond my grasp, and I fail to understand how such resistance can be promoted as support for animal welfare!

Happy Birthday To You!

Peter Black celebrates his birthday today!

He is now officially a Silver Surfer

Congratulations Peter!

Peter endorses Huw?

I was doing a family history search on the Ask search engine just now, when I came across this gushing endorsement for Huw Lewis from Peter Black:


If you click on the image it should become more readable, if not, the text reads:

This is the situation as it stood at 8am this morning. I really do not need to add anything except that the hopes and dreams of many Americans and much of the free World now rests on the shoulders of this extraordinary politician. ... Huw Lewis AM ...

Unfortunately clicking on the link leads to a post about a lesser politician Barack something

Black or Right?

In the spat between Peter Black and some Plaid bloggers on how to react to the BNP I am firmly on Mr Black's side of the argument.

I don't like the idea of thought crimes. I am fully in favour of political correctness as a form of etiquette, but etiquette should never have a basis in law.

The problem with making opinions illegal is that those opinions become unchallenged in the public arena. If it is illegal for me to make my prejudices known in public, then my prejudices cannot be challenged in public. If my prejudices cannot be challenged they will be confirmed by the fact that they are never challenged.

The only way of defeating the BNP's obnoxious opinion is by allowing them the freedom to express it, and using our freedom of expression to show how unacceptable their opinion is in a decent society.

The wider problem, however, is not the BNP itself, but certain newspapers, who claim that they oppose the BNP but push propaganda amicable to the fascist cause on a daily basis. A campaign against buying those newspapers would be more beneficial than a campaign to stop the BNP from having a small tent in the Llaregub Village Show

Congratulations Peter

Hearty Congratulations to Peter Black AM on being elevated to the lofty position of Official Censor of the Welsh Political Blogosphere. In his new role Peter has the final say on who may or may not Blog on politics in Wales. He has decreed that two bloggers should be banned forthwith.

Guerrilla Welsh-Fare and Welsh Ramblings are no longer welcome because:

A) They say nasty things about the Liberal Democrats.
B) They support Plaid Cymru
C) They blog anonymously and
D)There are rumors that the authors may work in Cardiff Bay.

How dare they blog! It shouldn't be allowed! Both should close down their blogs and p*** off!

I find it hilarious that Peter should have made his censorship comments on a blog called Freedom Central, and that he has done so without realising the irony that he is trying to restrict these bloggers' freedom of expression.

I haven't got the foggiest who writes these blogs and I couldn't give a damn where they work or who they work for. If they are Plaid staffers as Peter suspects then clearly they are going to be partisan in favour of Plaid. There is nothing wrong with partisan blogs - Peter's own offerings are hardly balanced and neutral. There is nothing odd or suspicious in people who are interested enough in the political process to work in politics expressing a political opinion either, why shouldn't they? The style and content of both blogs make it clear that they are the personal and idiosyncratic views of the authors rather than "official" blogs.

Peter claims that both use their blogs to smear others. I can't say that I have noticed that these two are any worse than other bloggers. However in his criticism of Welsh ramblings Peter draws attention to a post that claims that Paul Murphy has been selective in his choice of people with whom he has consulted regarding the Welsh Language LCO. If this is true then I would expect Peter to join Welsh Ramblings in condemning the Secretary of States actions. If it is not true I would expect Peter to debunk the claim. Surprisingly he does neither. Having complained about others being personal and smearing opponents Mr Black makes a personal attack on the author of Welsh Ramblings without addressing the important issue raised in the post at all!

Lest there be any doubt I should note that I am not employed by any political party, MP or AM - but I might be available for the right fee!

Have the Lib Dems heard of Devolution?

Mark Young, Parliamentary Candidate for the Lib Dems in the Vale of Clwyd, proudly informs us that the Welsh Liberal Democrats have succeeded in having a petition accepted on the, patently useless, Petitions to the Prime Minister site.

It is a very laudable petition:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/better-parking/

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Create a new
target, which will encourage NHS Hospitals to create adequate
car parking spaces.

Many Hospitals have insufficient car parking spaces. Patients,Visitors, Staff, out-patients have to queue up for scarce and insufficient car parking spaces.

Visitors may be charged two pounds for visiting a relative in the afternoon, and a second charge of two pounds for visiting in the evening.

Can the Government please encourage NHS hospitals to increase the number of car parking spaces. At the same time, introduce fair and reasonable concessions for those customers who are unable to afford some charges.

However shouldn't a Welsh Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate be expected to know that hospital parking is a devolved issue, and that the National Assembly has its own Petitions System?

Representation for all #2

In his un liberal and un democratic attack on Dafydd Wigley for daring to raise the issue of Representation For All, Peter Black AM makes the following comment:

Are we sure for example that we have an equal proportion of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender people within the Senedd as we do in our communities? Of course not and why should we?

On the same day as Mr Black makes his homotrepid comment Pink News (hat tip Iain Dale) lists what it claims are the fifty most influential openly LGB (lesbian, gay and bisexual) people in British politics. The list contains two Welsh MP's Adam Price and Chris Bryant, and three Members of the Scottish Parliament; but no Member of the National Assembly. Is this because Pink News believes that AMs are not influential or because openly LGB people have no representation in the Senedd?

If the LGB community is not represented in the Assembly, it is an equality issue that needs looking at. If the LGB community is fairly represented, but the Assembly is perceived by that community to be without influence, then the LGB community is a ripe constituency to harvest in support of additional powers in the proposed referendum.

Representation for all

After last May's election there was some disquiet in the ranks of Plaid Cymru about the party's gender balance policy of ensuring that a woman has number one spot in every list election. The main complaint was that the list preference system enabled Janet Ryder to be elected rather than Dafydd Wigley. A secondary complaint was that after Wales' allocation of MEP's was reduced by one (the "loser" being Plaid's Eurig Wyn) that Plaid has an electoral mountain to climb before it elects a second MEP. Unless Plaid gains a huge increase in votes, its voice in Europe will be female in perpetuity.

As a result of this disquiet Plaid's last party conference agreed to review its gender balance policies. In yesterday's Western Mail Dafydd Wigley suggested that the review should look at ways of enabling balance for other under-represented groups, not just women. Given his long-standing interest in disablement equality Dafydd suggested that the lists might be used to enable people who live with a disability to get elected to the Assembly.

Like Peter Black AM, I don’t think that "using the lists" is the best way of ensuring that people who live with a disability gain a voice in the Assembly. Unlike Mr Black, I don't think that Mr Wigley's comments should be rubbished and dismissed out of hand. Dafydd Wigley raises an important topic for debate. Whether one agrees or disagree with his conclusions, I think that Wigley should be congratulated for raising the issue.

This post is already longer than I intended it to be. So I shall split it and return to the subject in further posts over the next few days.