Aneurin Glyndwr leaps from farce to farce

Welsh Labour's biggest ever internet farce has come to an early end, with the widely mocked Aneurin Glyndwr website now appearing to be inactive, according to Betsan's blog.

At the time of this post, the link to Aneurin Glyndwr leads to a username/password interface under the mispelled heading "Aneurin Glyndwr".

Let's not pull punches, the website was supposed to be a jewel in the crown for Labour's internet presence, or as Peter Hain described it "an Obama moment". Aneurin Glyndwr also claimed that Rhodri Morgan backed the site's launch, although the First Minister leading denied this. In a first for Welsh politics, the website was even mocked in different countries and in non-political internet communities. This in itself is something of an achievement.

Leading Labour "online activist" David Taylor wrote recently in the Institute of Welsh Affairs' journal Agenda that his Aneurin Glyndwr site had turned out to be a success despite initially being mocked.

Have Welsh Labour supremos now moved to shut it down? After all, the site itself continued to be cringeworthy for some time after its launch, containing badly thought-out attacks on BBC Wales employees amongst other gems.

The site has clearly become a liability for Leighton Andrews who will now be looking for a top post if Carwyn becomes First Minister. How can he be taken seriously when his staff are responsible for such a hideous own goal?

With all that said, we'd rather it had stayed up.

Welsh Labour talk up "mutualism" but they failed to deliver

Edwina Hart's campaign manager Andrew Davies has called for Wales to lead the way in promoting co-operatives and mutuals, in response to what he deems the "catastrophic failure of the banking system". Considering he is the Welsh Government's Finance Minister, these comments are very welcome.

Mr. Davies' speech that is quoted in the Western Mail article contains ideological references resonate well with Plaid Cymru and the party's tradition of decentralist socialism. A particularly interesting point from the article is that the Minister is apparently "animated by the idea of a citizen’s bank which could operate on a not-for-dividend basis".

But in practice, Andrew Davies rejected such an idea when Plaid thinkers like Adam Price and Leanne Wood advocated the "People's Bank" (a not-for-dividend model based on Post Offices) last year.

Adam suggested it back in 2006, before the financial crisis. We raised the idea last year and Adam re-iterated the demand this February.

Andrew Davies, Leighton Andrews and other Welsh Labour AMs chose not to support the idea at the time, instead signing a statement of opinion saying they would "promote the idea to the UK Government". Hardly inspiring stuff.

They have the right ideas but no ambition whatsoever. It would be nice if the next First Minister saw Wales creating its own People's Bank as the way forward, rather than "promoting" ideas to a right-wing and discredited UK Government.

Aggression towards Venezuela

In a departure from Welsh affairs it's worth looking at the current moves to bolster the United States' declining authority in Latin America, in particular the further strengthening of military ties between the US and Colombia. It's good that there is support for the policies of Venezuela's current government from politicians from the broad progressive spectrum in Wales and the UK, with politicians from the Labour party, Plaid, the SNP, the Greens and others all praising different aspects of social policy there.

At the same time, there are currently huge tensions in the Americas. Democracy has taken away much of the USA's influence over the region, with regime after regime falling to the left through ballot box change. The right has lost ground electorally and is looking to revert to its familiar old tactics of coup d'etat, as we saw recently in Honduras. Obviously, the previous Bush administration was fully supportive of that kind of brinkmanship, but many analysts thought that the Obama administration would be entirely different. Although there has been some welcome thawing in terms of dialogue, elements of the ruling class in the USA are now ramping up the militarisation of Colombia, which is the last major pro-US government in the northern part of South America.

America has of course always had a presence in Colombia, but the military agreement signed on October 30th almost officially renounces Colombian independence and sovereignty, and turns the country into a defacto client state.

A US Air Force document submitted to Congress in May 2009 details the scale and purpose of America's involvement in Colombia.

The best solution for the region is for politics to remain based on free and fair elections. Driving up the outside military presence does not seem to be a strategy designed to allow that to continue. Of course, regardless of partisan opinion, developments in Latin America are always carefully monitored and analysed for their relevance to the rest of the world. The world will as usual be watching with interest.

Energy Sector policing

The Welsh Affairs Select Committee has said that a dedicated new armed response unit is needed to police what they call the "strategically vital" energy sector in Pembrokeshire.

The recently opened LNG terminals and pipeline at Milford Haven, along with the nearby refineries, serve the energy needs of the whole of the UK, rather than Wales.

Aside from the point about policing, what economic value would these facilities generate if Wales was an independent country?

English-language National Theatre delivered by Plaid

Credit to the indefatigable Syniadau for drawing attention to today's official launch of the National Theatre Wales.

An English-language National Theatre for Wales is long overdue. It was first announced in 2007 as part of the One Wales deal, and will now run as a touring theatre to different venues across the country, like Scotland's National Theatre. Another feather in the cap for Wales' creative industries.

It took Plaid Cymru's insistence to get this into the One Wales deal- it was lifted from the Plaid election manifesto into the coalition programme- and it is especially important that this has been delivered by a Plaid Minister. Rhodri Glyn Thomas deserves a huge amount of credit for this, as it shows Plaid looking out for both of our languages.

Wales at Copenhagen

It's news to us, but Wales apparently holds the chair of the 'Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development' with Jane Davidson able to be involved on the fringes of the Copenhagen Summit. A good article at Wales Home has alerted us to this, it's quite a coup for Wales to be leading this international alliance, though i'm sure even Jane Davidson doesn't want us to be a 'Regional Government' forever! It's a shame that this isn't common knowledge. The Welsh media has failed to report this pretty important body for Wales to be leading. Fair play to Wales Home for that contribution.

Yet it should be asked, why didn't the Labour Minister demand that Wales get a full say at the Summit like her Scottish counter-part did? I don't expect that Westminster would listen, but we would still have sent out a clear message and maybe given people a bit more confidence in the Welsh Government's ability to stand up for Wales.

So sadly we won't be heard at the heart of the summit, and indeed we are only at Copenhagen at all in our hard-fought devolved capacity. This is something of a response to whose who argue that devolution will 'cut Wales off from the rest of the world'.

It's a similar situation Labour's Finance Minister Andrew Davies did not sufficiently hold the UK Government to account over the cuts to the Welsh budget, when the Scottish Government was taking a much stronger line. At first Andrew Davies and Rhodri Morgan made some promising comments in the Chamber about fighting for Wales' interests, but when the massive real terms cuts to our funding were announced they tried to spin it as a 'good budget for Wales'. Even though Labour's Welsh Ministers are very agreeable with progressives in Wales on all the main policy issues, at the coal face of things they are more likely to defend Labour's interests than Wales' interest.

For what it's worth, the Copenhagen Summit will probably recommend a climate deal based on carbon trading and shifting the burden of guilt on to the rest of the world.

Still, you can't help think that we might get somewhere if Wales was entitled to more of a say than just being there as a 'Regional Government'.

Women in the Assembly

Daran at Wales Home made an interesting charge against fellow blogger Guerrilla Welsh Fare earlier in his piece about likely cabinets post-Rhodri. Che had written that Huw Lewis' nominating AMs are not fit for purpose in taking on ministerial roles, as it has been argued that he has been backed by the most anonymous and incapable Assembly Members. Daran's interpretation is that GWF "takes a swipe at some women politicians from working class backgrounds who might be appointed to the Huw Cabinet". Ramblings enjoys reading both Wales Home and GWF, and the Welsh blogosphere is enriched by both of them.

GWF doesn't need defending, but it goes without saying that Assembly Members are subject to any kind of performance judgement we, the people, deem necessary. There is a time for being cosy with everyone and generating consensus, but it's clear that GWF's central charge remains correct- the effectiveness of Lynn Neagle, Irene James, Joyce Watson, and possibly Ann Jones is being questioned on the basis of merit, not on the basis of gender or class.

The fact that very little is known about them outside of the commentariat is an immediate indication of their lack of standing. Let's be honest with ourselves, these are ineffective, loyalist AMs simply there to prop up their chosen party's rule.

To see an example of working class women who are doing a great service to the people of Wales look no further than the likes of Lesley Griffiths for Labour, Leanne Wood for Plaid and even in the Cabinet you have Edwina Hart. You might not agree with everything those women do, but they get their names about through campaigning on issues and taking a stand, with all three of those examples not afraid to go against party line. As far as Ramblings is aware Jane Hutt also comes from a working class background, and though she has been criticised for her Ministerial performances in the past you can't take it away from her that she is well respected.

Daran insinuates in a comment on Wales Home that a sexist agenda against women politicians is evident from "a few quarters". He should explain where he has detected this agenda, being very switched on to new media he is probably referring to the blogs. Let's make it even more clear, although we have not been accused, that there is no gender basis on this blog. We have shown that there are excellent women AMs from working class backgrounds operating in Wales and this is something we celebrate. If an AM is not doing their job very well we will say so. It does not serve the cause of democracy in Wales to have elected Members falling asleep in the Chamber and mouldering away in unassailable safe seats.

The truth that Labour supporters might find difficult to swallow is that it is their party that has the highest quota of deadweight, be it male or female. This is not a good thing or something we are crowing about, it needs sorting out straight away.

Lewis confirms relocation

Huw Lewis has launched a new campaign website to replace his old one. It's definitely worth a read. This blog has already pointed out that Huw's "Mythbusters" section is weak and actually ducks most of the charges against Huw, although despite being defensive it is a clever part of the site. Huw has toned down the "Mythbusters" section in his new lay-out, giving it less precedence.

Lewis has also used the new site to confirm that he no longer lives in Penarth, as has been widely alleged throughout the Welsh media. According to the new site, Huw now lives in Merthyr Tydfil, with no mention of a second home.

We aren't (for once) knocking Huw on this. It would be good to have a First Minister who lives outside of Cardiff and surrounds. A few people are saying that the leadership race has been a good thing for Welsh Labour internally.

But leadership race aside, the bigger picture is that after the next General Election, according to the Yougov poll, Merthyr is going to be the northernmost part of Wales with a Labour constituency representative.

Scottish Lib Dems bottle it

The Scottish branch of the Liberal Democrats have bottled their idea of supporting their alleged "democratic" principles by announcing that they will in fact not vote alongside the SNP to allow the Scottish people a referendum to determine their future.

The Scottish Lib Dems are apparently divided on the issue with a number of principled MSPs wanting to take the position of backing a referendum and then campaigning for the 'no' vote. Although this blog disagrees with such a position, it is an entirely valid and just one, and is in keeping with the ideals that Lib Dems talk about.

However, as is so often seen with Liberal Democrats, the leadership are more intent on doing the bidding of their London-based masters. They will now vote to deny the Scottish people the right of self-determination. This is a right enshrined in international law. If the case for the Union is so strong then the Scottish people should be allowed to make their choice and put the question to bed for now.

Obviously, the case is not as strong as they would like people to think.

Disappointing Pro-Blair hype from the Western Mail

One of the Western Mail's better columnists has a disappointing piece in his column in yesterday's Wales On Sunday, although it does now seem that Tony Blair's bid for the new Presidency role in Europe is dead in the water.

The pro-Blair hype from all quarters of the media has been lazy and weak. Ordinary people are being expected to somehow support Mr. Blair's ascendancy simply because he is "British", is a "high-profile figure" and has international clout, presumably from his support for costly illegal wars. This consensus is at odds with what ordinary people think of Blair, and it's about time this consensus was challenged.

Other potential candidates for the role are from Luxembourg and the Netherlands. On this week's Question Time the journalist John Sergeant derided Luxembourg's Prime Minister, stating the "obvious" British point of view, that surely a politician from a tiny country can't be taken seriously?

As Elfyn Llwyd said on the same programme, Blair's destination should not be a Presidential role, it should be the courts. He should be tried for war crimes.

Convention set to say 'Yes' as True Wales man gets the nod

The rumour mill is now solidly predicting a "go for it" style message from the All Wales Convention when it gives its report on November 18th. The flaws of the Convention have been well documented, but it does seem that the Parry-Jones report will provide an accurate and comprehensive picture of how things stand. There has also been genuine public inolvement, though limited.

As John Dixon and others have noted, it won't really matter what noises the Labour leadership candidates make about the report, as all three of them are signed up to fulfil the One Wales pact and will not want to destabilise the Welsh Government. Even Huw Lewis might have a chance to bust the anti-devolutionist "myths" that he has acknowledged affecting his candidacy by championing a "Yes" campaign. Becoming the leader of Wales and leading the nation to direct law-making powers is a prospect that could see the currently unknown Merthyr backbencher become a statesman of considerable stature.

Ramblings takes issue with Gareth Hughes' charge that Carwyn Jones is lukewarm on a referendum- in Jones' latest article in the Agenda journal he clearly spells out the need not only for law-making powers but for an independent Welsh legal system. His credibility, and Plaid's support if he was First Minister, would disappear if he did a u-turn against the democratic will of the people of Wales.

Of course, the opinion of Labour's MPs in Wales is even more important. They will be looking to preserve their own careers and generous lifestyles by blocking Wales from making progress.

At the same time, the divisions within the Labour Party in Wales are very apparent. Leading "True Wales" figure Cllr David Rees, who probably doesn't even believe there should be an Assembly at all, is rumoured to have been selected as Labour candidate for the Labour-held seat Aberavon at the 2011 Assembly Election.

Update- the rumours have been confounded. It is in fact an Aberavon-based Dave Rees who has been selected, rather than the Risca-based "True Wales" nut.

What's the point and What are they for?

Today's Yougov poll has created alot of excitement in the Welsh blogosphere and has also made the news today, with the media mainly reporting the previously inconceivable advances being made by the Tories as Labour in both its "New" and "Welsh" guises continues to collapse as a political force in this country. That Plaid is on the rise is some consolation, but the poll still does not make comfortable reading for the future, as it means Wales would be inflicted with a Tory UK government it did not generally vote for.

But there is another story buried in the poll findings that could have even more of a dramatic impact on Welsh politics.

The Liberal Democrats are on the verge of disappearing as a political entity of any credible size in Wales.

This blog has been highlighting the Lib Dems' problems and difficulties in appealing to the electorate for some time. But the damning indictment of them as a party is that their party leader in Wales, is vastly unknown according to the poll, and lacks support amongst those people that do recognise her, including Liberal Democrat voters.

There are serious problems with the Lib Dems, with their standing at UK level in disarray after constant u-turns and swivellings and a dreadful performance by Clegg as leader, with his political positions and image being indistinguishable from that of Cameron.

It does beg the question, what are they for? A perennial bloc of 6 Assembly Members, allegedly deeply divided, advocating no particularly consistent vision for Welsh policy-making except from their consistency in opposing everything Plaid or Labour does. Their paranoia and short-sightedness in aiming their attacks at Plaid Cymru unwittingly tells more voters that Plaid is involved in wielding power (something Plaid's opponents should not be doing) and lets the UK Government off the hook. They now face wipe-out in Wales at the next General Election, and could be reduced to just a single Parliamentary seat. That is a very serious position for them to be in.

The Lib Dems became the 5th party in Welsh politics at the last European Elections. Being pro-European is not an excuse for this performance, Plaid is a pro-European party and although this blog will NOT claim Plaid set the world alight in those elections, they certainly did not collapse.

It is a little-kept secret in UK politics that the Lib Dems are accused of being opportunists, centrists and "all things to all people", and more quietly it is claimed that they have a tendency to engage in dubious and sometimes distatesful electoral tactics. But there are some good Lib Dems amongst their MPs, and they do consistently win constituency seats all over the UK. Furthermore, because Westminster is so right-wing, it is often Lib Dem figures that do a great job in shining a light on the failures of the two bigger British political parties. For example, socialists can't deny that Vince Cable did offer a good view on the economy, even though his social democratic theory is surely at odds with the centre-right Orange Book clique of economic liberals around Nick Clegg.

Here in Wales the story is different, and there is simply no point in them. The Welsh Lib Dems don't have a Vince Cable, and the respected Mick Bates, their most dependable Member, is retiring. They are the annoying and pointless uncle at the family gathering that is Welsh politics.

The only significant treatment of the Welsh Lib Dems in recent times was a generous piece from Daran Hill, but even his most optimistic assessment could only see the Lib Dems running local councils, and potentially gaining two list seats in the future if the UK political conditions swung the right way. The direction of travel in both Welsh and UK politics is not currently pointing towards any such advances, but is instead predicting reversals.

Liberalism is a valid and proud political tradition that has just as glorious a history as the tradition that Ramblings hails from. Liberal politics changed the course of human history. Today, it is a sad fact that this once-proud tradition is now represented in Wales by an MP who writes for a soft porn publication, and an unknown centrist career politician. The Welsh Lib Dems' failure to do justice to those that have gone before them is not funny or edifiying, it is simply shameful.

The (Welsh) Thick of it

With the new series of the always excellent "The Thick of It" starting on Saturday I thought I'd have a look at some of the old clips and stumbled across this...

Fed up of hearing about them

Although it's a big week for the debate about fascism, probably the biggest since the Euro elections, isn't it true that the BBC and the media in general are overdoing it a bit with their incessant coverage of the British National Party?

It can be appreciated that the Nazis are so dangerous that their activities must be put under the media glare. But isn't a slot on Question Time enough? Must we have constant BBC blogs, articles and radio phone ins about them? After all, the Green Party got more votes than the BNP did on a UK level, have got more councillors than the BNP and have had MEPs for longer. Where is the increased coverage for Greens?

Whenever the BNP do rear their heads they should be opposed. That's why it's right that there won't be empty seats on Question Time. We should also remember that in Wales they do not have the same electoral mandate that they do in England, having not ever won a contested seat here, European or otherwise.

Free Public Transport in Cardiff

The idea that public transport should be free is one that sections of the left have woken up to in the past few years, although it is a reality in many places on the European mainland.

The most notable advocates for free public transport in the British Isles have been the Scottish Socialist Party, though their idea looks unachievable unless Scotland could raise all of its own resources.

In Wales, it would also be impossible to deliver free public transport within a fixed Assembly budget. However, it is good to see that Plaid Cymru is now delivering free buses in the centre of Cardiff, as part of Plaid's policy to make Cardiff a sustainable city. It is notable that it has taken Plaid coming into government both nationally and locally for this to happen.