Defence Questions Regarding St Athan:
Adam Price (Spokesperson (Communities and Local Government; Culture, Media and Sport; Defence; Transport; Ministry of Justice); Carmarthen East & Dinefwr, Plaid Cymru)
This project was announced with considerable fanfare in the run-up to the Assembly elections, but, 18 months on, there is still no signed contract. We already have one empty aircraft hangar in the area that John Smith serves as a result of a previous MOD U-turn. Does the Minister understand that there is fear in the community that the Government may be backtracking on the scale of the project, and can he reassure it that there is no truth in that?
Bob Ainsworth (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Ministry of Defence; Coventry North East, Labour)
All I will say to the hon. Gentleman is that he and his nationalist colleagues ought to reflect upon the size of the defence training capability in Scotland and Wales were they to get their way and form governments in either of those places.
I think someone should maybe inform Bob Ainsworth that indeed Nationalist do form the Governments in both Wales and Scotland? Glad to see he has been paying attention!
Also it is a concern I am sure to those who support the St Athan facility that no assurances were given that there would be no backtracking on the scale of the project. It is a real blow to democracy that Ministers can get away with giving answers that have nothing to do with the questions asked.
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Monday, 21 July 2008
Top Ten Blogs
In early September TOTAL POLITICS, in association with APCO WORLDWIDE will publish the 2008-9 Guide to Political Blogging in the UK. It will contain articles on blogging by some of Britain's leading bloggers, together with a directory of UK political blogs, and a series of Top 20s and Top 10s. The book will be available at the Green Party, TUC, Labour, LibDem and Tory Conferences, where TOTAL POLITICS will have exhibition stands.They're asking for your votes to decide the Top 100 UK Political Blogs.
Simply email your Top Ten (ranked from 1 to 10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com. If you have a blog, please encourage your readers to do the same. Iain Dale will then compile the Top 100 from those that you send in. Just order them from 1 to 10. Your top blog gets 10 points and your tenth gets 1 point.The deadline for submitting your Top 10 is Friday August 15th. Please type Top 10 in the subject line. Or you can of course leave your Top 10 in the Comments on Iain's post.Once all the entries are in a lucky dip draw will take place and the winner will be sent £100 worth of political books!
The rules are simple:
1. Please only vote once
2. Only blogs based in the UK, run by UK residents are eligible or based on UK politics are eligible
3. Votes must be cast before Friday 15 August
4. Blogs chosen must be listed in the Total Politics Blog Directory.
5. You must send a list of TEN blogs, ranked. Any entry containing fewer than ten blogs will not count.
6. Anonymous votes left in the comments will not count. You must give a name
So, once again, the email address to send your TOP TEN BLOGS to is...toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com
(Hat tip - post taken directly from - Ordovicius)
Simply email your Top Ten (ranked from 1 to 10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com. If you have a blog, please encourage your readers to do the same. Iain Dale will then compile the Top 100 from those that you send in. Just order them from 1 to 10. Your top blog gets 10 points and your tenth gets 1 point.The deadline for submitting your Top 10 is Friday August 15th. Please type Top 10 in the subject line. Or you can of course leave your Top 10 in the Comments on Iain's post.Once all the entries are in a lucky dip draw will take place and the winner will be sent £100 worth of political books!
The rules are simple:
1. Please only vote once
2. Only blogs based in the UK, run by UK residents are eligible or based on UK politics are eligible
3. Votes must be cast before Friday 15 August
4. Blogs chosen must be listed in the Total Politics Blog Directory.
5. You must send a list of TEN blogs, ranked. Any entry containing fewer than ten blogs will not count.
6. Anonymous votes left in the comments will not count. You must give a name
So, once again, the email address to send your TOP TEN BLOGS to is...toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com
(Hat tip - post taken directly from - Ordovicius)
Friday, 18 July 2008
The Hypocrisy of the Hypocrite
In his recent blog Peter Black hits out at Plaid and Labour members over the issue of public sector workers branding them hypocrites. This coming from a man that joined protesters against moving neurosurgery from Swansea even though his own party health spokesperson was saying the opposite. I guess that’s the short term memory loss you have to endure as a Lib Dem.
What Peter fails to address, deliberately I am sure as it does not fit in with his attacks, is that WAG’s settlements to local governments was based on the settlement they received from Westminster. Instead of getting to the heart of the issue with the poor budget allocation from Westminster and the issues that come with that debate Peter has attempted to go down the route of political point scoring.
In the end you must question who is being hypocritical. The Plaid AM’s who have campaigned for a better local Government settlement from Westminster and who have turned down an above inflation pay rise. Or Lib Dem politicians who have concentrated solely on trying to get a headline in the paper and who were happy to take an 8.3% pay rise whilst public sector workers take to the streets in protest.
What Peter fails to address, deliberately I am sure as it does not fit in with his attacks, is that WAG’s settlements to local governments was based on the settlement they received from Westminster. Instead of getting to the heart of the issue with the poor budget allocation from Westminster and the issues that come with that debate Peter has attempted to go down the route of political point scoring.
In the end you must question who is being hypocritical. The Plaid AM’s who have campaigned for a better local Government settlement from Westminster and who have turned down an above inflation pay rise. Or Lib Dem politicians who have concentrated solely on trying to get a headline in the paper and who were happy to take an 8.3% pay rise whilst public sector workers take to the streets in protest.
Thursday, 17 July 2008
10p, 2p, No Pence
Gordon Brown was under fire from opposition parties last night after they branded his decision to scrap plans for the 2p rise in fuel duty as a political fix. In many ways I sympathise with Brown. He’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. If he does it’s a political decision to avoid defeat in Glasgow. He can not deal with another 10p sage. If he doesn’t he will have a summer of attacks.
What concerns me is that this man is supposedly a great chancellor. Someone who came to power as the PM largely on the back of what now appears a shaky economic record. Yet clearly he does not understand what he has done. Gordon Brown claims that scrapping the 2p tax is his way of helping hard-pressed families. This decision does not in fact make anyone better off. All it does is ensure that the Government’s own plans to make things worse are not introduced. My fuel costs are no less because of this move they have simply not got worse. Something the Government would have proposed. If he was serious about tackling the concerns against rising fuel costs why did the Labour party decide against establishing an independent fuel regulator as proposed by Plaid Cymru and the road haulage association?
For a man that made his name on the economy Brown’s reputation is going down as quickly as the price of petrol is going up!
What concerns me is that this man is supposedly a great chancellor. Someone who came to power as the PM largely on the back of what now appears a shaky economic record. Yet clearly he does not understand what he has done. Gordon Brown claims that scrapping the 2p tax is his way of helping hard-pressed families. This decision does not in fact make anyone better off. All it does is ensure that the Government’s own plans to make things worse are not introduced. My fuel costs are no less because of this move they have simply not got worse. Something the Government would have proposed. If he was serious about tackling the concerns against rising fuel costs why did the Labour party decide against establishing an independent fuel regulator as proposed by Plaid Cymru and the road haulage association?
For a man that made his name on the economy Brown’s reputation is going down as quickly as the price of petrol is going up!
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
S4/C - Sianel 4 / CYMRU
I really do not understand the logic behind the moves by S4C to provide their sporting coverage in English. If that happens what is the point of a Welsh language channel? Gwynfor Evans went on a hunger strike to realise the dream of a Welsh language medium TV station. Now those in charge wish to create an English language sports facility?
I think providing sports in Welsh are the perfect way to disarm non-welsh speakers. Those who do not speak welsh can still watch sport on the channel as the action is self explanatory. By doing so we make welsh a part of the norm and non-welsh speakers become accustomed to hearing the language as a part of life and culture. This proposal will only reinforce the stereotype that there is an ‘us and them’ approach. It will force the welsh language back to a position where it is only heard by Welsh speakers who seek it out. It goes against every rational behind establishing a Welsh language channel in the first place. I hope the powers to be rethink this one.
I think providing sports in Welsh are the perfect way to disarm non-welsh speakers. Those who do not speak welsh can still watch sport on the channel as the action is self explanatory. By doing so we make welsh a part of the norm and non-welsh speakers become accustomed to hearing the language as a part of life and culture. This proposal will only reinforce the stereotype that there is an ‘us and them’ approach. It will force the welsh language back to a position where it is only heard by Welsh speakers who seek it out. It goes against every rational behind establishing a Welsh language channel in the first place. I hope the powers to be rethink this one.
Waste Not Want Not
Welsh Lobbyist has tagged me the MEME regarding wasting £200k. Others who have done it include Valley’s Mam, Miss Wagstaff and Cynical Dragon.
My shout is not a political one. I’ve opted for Blake Fielder-Civil, better known as the husband of Amy Winehouse. This intellectual great blew £200k bribing a pub landlord that he had assaulted in an attempt to avoid jail. Where is Blake now you may ask? Currently awaiting a possible sentence of five years for said assault and a maximum life sentence for perverting the course of justice. Money well spent!
Most people have been tagged already so I’ll just let you decide if you want to do it.
My shout is not a political one. I’ve opted for Blake Fielder-Civil, better known as the husband of Amy Winehouse. This intellectual great blew £200k bribing a pub landlord that he had assaulted in an attempt to avoid jail. Where is Blake now you may ask? Currently awaiting a possible sentence of five years for said assault and a maximum life sentence for perverting the course of justice. Money well spent!
Most people have been tagged already so I’ll just let you decide if you want to do it.
Monday, 14 July 2008
Trial By Public
Glyn Davies discusses what was probably the sporting topic of the weekend when he gives his views on the possible selection of Dwain Chambers for the Great Britain Olympics team. Glyn’s view, which is shared by many in the Athletics community not to mention the general public, is that Dwain Chambers is a drug cheat. He cheated the system and should never be allowed to race for Britain again.
Ultimately Dwain Chambers’ actions affected not only him but many others. Directly Marlon Devonish, Jason Garderner and Darren Cambell lost their World Championship 100m relay Silver Medals as Chambers was part of the team. The same actions cost Welsh star Christian Malcolm his Gold medal at the 2002 European Championships. Indirectly Chambers’ actions have also hurt promising talent that have missed out on future sponsorship and grants taken by Chambers.
What concerns me is the way we villanize and worship our sporting stars. Chambers whilst being a very good athlete has never won a major individual championship. Had he done so would he really be villanized in the same way? Linford Christie is one of Britain’s greatest and most well liked sport stars. With Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Gold’s he is also one of the most accomplished. Yet in 1999 Christie was handed a drugs ban for testing positive for Nandralone. Is it because Christie is a winner that we forget that detail?
Whilst BBC pundits such as Steve Cram denounced the selection of Chambers on the weekend the network is running adverts featuring World 400m Champion and Beijing medal hopeful Christine Ohuruogu as the main focus. She is even appearing on a children’s TV show for CBBC encouraging athletics and fair play. No mention is made of the year suspension she received for missing three separate drug tests. Is it ok to be a drug cheat if you are not caught? Surely the ban for missing tests should be greater than testing positive otherwise where is the encouragement to be tested?
I am not sure if I am in the camp supporting the decision to brand Dwain Chambers a cheat and never allow him to compete at the Olympics again, or if I feel that he should be given a second chance to use his experience to show how you can achieve at the highest level without drugs. Almost an ambassador for the boy that came good. One thing for sure is that Dwain deserves at least a bit of parity in the way he is portrayed.
Ultimately Dwain Chambers’ actions affected not only him but many others. Directly Marlon Devonish, Jason Garderner and Darren Cambell lost their World Championship 100m relay Silver Medals as Chambers was part of the team. The same actions cost Welsh star Christian Malcolm his Gold medal at the 2002 European Championships. Indirectly Chambers’ actions have also hurt promising talent that have missed out on future sponsorship and grants taken by Chambers.
What concerns me is the way we villanize and worship our sporting stars. Chambers whilst being a very good athlete has never won a major individual championship. Had he done so would he really be villanized in the same way? Linford Christie is one of Britain’s greatest and most well liked sport stars. With Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Gold’s he is also one of the most accomplished. Yet in 1999 Christie was handed a drugs ban for testing positive for Nandralone. Is it because Christie is a winner that we forget that detail?
Whilst BBC pundits such as Steve Cram denounced the selection of Chambers on the weekend the network is running adverts featuring World 400m Champion and Beijing medal hopeful Christine Ohuruogu as the main focus. She is even appearing on a children’s TV show for CBBC encouraging athletics and fair play. No mention is made of the year suspension she received for missing three separate drug tests. Is it ok to be a drug cheat if you are not caught? Surely the ban for missing tests should be greater than testing positive otherwise where is the encouragement to be tested?
I am not sure if I am in the camp supporting the decision to brand Dwain Chambers a cheat and never allow him to compete at the Olympics again, or if I feel that he should be given a second chance to use his experience to show how you can achieve at the highest level without drugs. Almost an ambassador for the boy that came good. One thing for sure is that Dwain deserves at least a bit of parity in the way he is portrayed.
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