Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

Yesterday the Western Mail reported that Labour insiders are looking outside the Assembly for a possible successor to Rhodri Morgan as First Minister. Both AMs who were named in the article- Gwenda Thomas AM for Neath, and Karen Sinclair AM in Clwyd South have stated clearly that they will not stand down for either Peter Hain or Eluned Morgan MEP.

Frankly, I think it is absurd that Peter Hain is even a consideration at this point in time given that he is still waiting to hear whether he will face criminal charges arising out of the police investigation into his late declaration of donations. Attempting to shrug off the mess that Peter Hain has created due to this investigation, both for the Labour party in Neath and Nationally, is not something that the Labour party in Wales, or Hain’s supporters should be allowed to do over night. Peter Hain has nowhere else to go, and that is why he is no doubt so keen on entering the National Assembly for a last ditch attempt at power and glory.

 But will he be up to the job following his turbulent year in politics? One constituent who came to see me at my office informed me that Peter Hain was almost asleep during a casework meeting with said constituent recently. Hardly a man ready and rearing for a leadership contest!  After doing so tragically in the UK Labour Party Deputy Leader race, shouldn’t he just put his efforts elsewhere?

I don’t think that I am being too harsh on Peter Hain. He is a media mastermind, and is seeking to wow the journos on all levels to reinvent himself as the saviour of Welsh Labour post Rhodri. It doesn’t do Welsh politics any good if there is a portrayal of the fact that a leader must be pushed in from the outside. I would hazard a guess that the current contenders-  Huw Lewis and Carwyn Jones being two of them, are far from happy at the news that their attempts at the leadership are being undermined in this manner (neither too should Gwenda Thomas and Karen Sinclair for that matter…)

Please put this event in your diaries, which is being sponsored by Public Affairs Cymru.

Sorted: Civic lotteries and the future of public participation

Tuesday 23rd September, 6.30pm-8.00pm in Room to be confirmed at Ty Hywel or the Senedd, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay

Public Affairs Cymru is supporting a different type of event in the National Assembly when we come back from summer recess and it’s one for anyone interested in civic engagement. We are supporting Bethan Jenkins AM in publicising the work of Peter MacLeod, a cutting edge examiner of public participation. The following day Peter is in London launching a pamphlet called “Sorted: Civic lotteries and the future of public participation”.

Inspired by Canada’s first Citizens’ Assemblies, in 2007 he founded MASS LBP to extend this model and reinvent public consultation. MASS LBP is based in Toronto with staff in Vancouver, Ottawa and London, UK. In 2001, he created The Planning Desk, an innovative studio for public systems design that produced a series of high-profile projects to improve the character, quality and efficacy of citizen-state interactions. A fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Queen’s University, he writes and speaks frequently on the citizen’s experience of the state, the importance of public imagination and the future of responsible government. He is completing his doctorate in political sociology at the London School of Economics, and is the 2008 recipient of the Public Policy Forum’s prestigious Young Leaders Award.

The Learning Outcomes for PAC members attending this event would be:

• A greater understanding of alternative models of citizen engagement in politics and campaigning.
• Up-to-date appreciation of the role of citizens assemblies and civic lotteries.
• Ideas for better grassroots campaigning/involvement in order to deliver success, better reflect member concerns, and better engage with politicians.
• An excellent opportunity to network as the invitees will include Assembly Members and journalists as well as PAC members.

To register your attendance at this event, please contact PAC Events Officer Alex McMillan on AlexMcmillan@publicaffairscymru.org

I met Peter while at the British Council Transatlantic Network event in Berlin this year, and he is a great speaker, so don’t miss out!

…………………………………………

Plis rhowch y digwyddiad yma sy’n cael ei noddi gan Public Affairs Cymru.

“Sorted”: Loteriau Dinasyddion a dyfodol chyfranogaeth y cyhoedd

Dydd Mawrth 23 Medi, 6.30pm-8.00pm Ystafell I’w gadarnhau yn nail ai Ty Hywel neu’r Senedd, Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru, Bae Caerdydd

Mae Public Affairs Cymru yn cefnogi digwyddiad tra wahanol yn y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol pan ddewn nol ar yr haf, ac mae’n un wedi anelu at aelodau gyda diddordeb mewn cyfranogaeth y cyhoedd. Rydym yn cefnogi Bethan Jenkins AC i hyrwyddo gwaith Peter MacLeod, ymchwilydd blaengar ym maes cyfranogaeth sifig. Y diwrnod canlynol bydd Peter yn Llundain yn lawnsio pamffled o’r enw “”Sorted”: Loteriau Dinasyddion a dyfodol chyfranogaeth y cyhoedd”.

Wedi ei tarddio ar Cynulliadau y Dinasyddion cyntaf Canada, yn 2007 sefydlodd MASS LBP i ehangu model yma ac ail-wampio ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus. Mae MASS LBP yn gwiethio o Toronto gyda staff yn Vancouver, Ottawa a London, DU. Yn 2001, sefydlodd The Planning Desk, stiwdio datblygu sustemau cyhoeddus sydd wedi cyflawni nifer o prosiectau uchel eu parch, er mwyn gwella cymeriad, safon ac effeithlonrwydd cyfathrebu rhwng y wladwriaeth a’r dinesydd. Fel Cymrodor yn y Centre for the Study of Democracy, Queen’s University, mae’n ysgrifennu a siarad yn gyson ar profiad y dinesydd yn y wladwriaeth, pwysigrwydd dychymyg cyhoeddus, a dyfodol llywodraeth cyfrifol. Mae wrthi ar hyn o bryd yn cwblhau ei PhD ar gymdeithaseg gwleidyddol yn Ysgol Economaidd Llundain, ac ef oedd ennillydd Gwobr Arweinwyr Ifanc 2008 gan y Fforwm Bolisi Cyhoeddus.

Canlyniadau Dysgu i Aelodau PAC trwy mynychu byddai:

• Gwybodaeth am fodelau gwahanol o hymrwymiad dinasyddion yng ngwleidyddiaeth ac ymgyrchu.
• Gwell deallusrwydd o waith cynulliadau dinasyddion mewn loteri sifig.
• Syniadau am wella ymgyrchoedd trwy tynnu pobl i mewn ar y lefel gwaelod er mwyn llwyddo, mynegi syniadau’n well, a gwell cyfathrebu gyda gwleidyddion.
• Cyfle arbennig I rwydweithio gan fydd y gynulleidfa’n cynnwys Aelodau Cynulliad a newyddiadurwyr yn ogystal ac aelodau PAC.

I gadarnhau eich body yn mynychu y digwyddiad, cysylltwch a Swyddog Digwyddiadau PAC Alex McMillan ar AlexMcmillan@publicaffairscymru.org

Fe wnes i gwrdd a Peter tra’n cymryd rhan yn y ‘ Transatlantic Network’ sy’n cael ei rhedeg gan y Cyngor Prydeinig, ac mae e’n siaradwr gwych felly peidiwch a cholli allan!

The Scotsman today reports that the newly elected leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland may consider supporting the concept of a multi-opinion referendum on Independence for Scotland. It seems that Tavish Scott has moved his opinion from opposing such a referendum prior to the leadership campaign to indicating that ‘I am not intuitively against making sure that people have a choice and an opportunity to cast a vote on these thing’. For a party that prides itself in promoting decisions made by party members, supporting a referendum should be a given ( we certainly know all about that here in Wales!) yet Tavish Scott has been wary to support any Independence referendum until now. The SNP run Scottish Parliament press team reacted in a predictably confident fashion to Scott’s apparent u-turn by stating:

‘”We had Wobbly Wendy, and now we have Twisting Tavish. Tavish Scott was previously known for his hard line opposition to a referendum, and now we look forward to him upholding Liberal Democrat principles and supporting the Scottish Government’s referendum bill in 2010.”

This does look more encouraging for the SNP government in terms of their ability to initiate a referendum of such a kind as a minority administration at Holyrood. The success of the SNP in the polls has spiralled- leaving the Unionists perplexed as to where to take the constitutional debate. It is a sure sign as to why such parties are at least considering co-operation with regards the referendum debate.

Alex Salmond will no doubt keep a keen eye on the maneuverings of the new Lib dem leader in Scotland. Scott on the other hand will try and learn from Labour in Scotland’s mistake, and pray that his stance on the referendum will not factor at all in any possible loss of his position as leader.

I’m back from a week’s break. I had a relaxing time. It was good to come back and find out that I was number 8 of Iain Dale’s top 40 Welsh blogs! Thanks to all those who voted. As Iain Dale says on his blog, the Plaid/Nationalist bloggers did well. Let’s keep it up, I say.

While I’ve been away the World seems to have gone Olympics mad. I did watch a quite a bit of the coverage on Eurosport, and watched the welcoming home of the British team by a desperate Gordon Brown who is blatantly trying to sell his Britishness obsession to the ‘Nation’ via the Olympic squad.

Obviously I think the Welsh sportswomen and men did excellently, but I am equally as dubious as Alex Salmond about the prospect of a GB football team for London 2012. This could well threaten the Welsh FA, and the president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter has on more than one occasion said that if the UK fields a team at the Olympics, then football associations across the world will ask why there cannot be a single team for the UK at all competitions. It seems to me that our strong Welsh football tradition will be under threat if Gordon Brown gets his way, and pushes forward with this idea of a UK football team.

Brown should try and convince us that Welsh people and communities will truly benefit from the Olympics in four years time as opposed to following through with ideas such as this.

……………………………………………………..

Dwi nol ar ol wythnos o wyliau. Nes i gael amser i ymlacio. Odd e’n dda i ddod nol i ddarganfod fy mod i wedi dod yn 8fed ar 40 blog gorau Iain Dale. Diolch i bawb a bleidleisiodd. Fel mae Iain Dale yn dweud ar ei blog, mae’r blogwyr Cenedlaetholgar/Plaid wedi gwneud yn dda y tro ‘ma. Dalier ati, ddweda i.

Tra rwyf wedi bod i ffwrdd, mae’ r byd wedi datblygu obsesiwn gyda’r gemau Olympaidd. Fe wnes i wylio rhai o’r digwyddiadau ar Eurosport, a’rr rhaglen yn croesawu’r ser yn ol i’r wlad. Roedd Gordon Brown yn ceisio elwa o’r sefyllfa yn wleidyddol drwy wthio ei obsesiwn gyda Prydeindog ar y ‘Genedl’ drwy tim Olympaidd y Deyrnas Unedig.

Yn amlwg rwy’n meddwl bod y tim Olympaidd, yn enwedig y rhai o Gymru, wedi gwneud yn wych eleni, ond rwyf i yr un mor amheus ag Alex Salmond o’r cysyniad o gael tim pel droed y Deyrnas Unedig ar gyfer y gemau yn Llundain yn 2012. Fe all hwn bod yn fygythiad i’r FA cymraeg, ac mae Llywydd FIFA, Sepp Blatter wedi dweud ar nifer o adegau os bod yna tim pel droed y DU, yna fe fydd clybiau pel droed ar draws y byd yn cwestiynnu pam na ellir cael un tim yn unig gan y DU mewn cystadleuathau eraill. Mae’n rhagweld i mi bod Gordon Brown am danseilio traddodiad cryf pel droed Cymru drwy wthio am dim Prydain yn y gemau nesaf.

Dylai Gordon Brown ceisio perswadio ni y bydd Cymru, a chymunedau Cymru wir yn buddio o’r gemau Olympaidd mewn pedair mlynedd yn lle gwthio ‘mlaen a syniadau fel hwn.

I am going on holiday for a week so I will not be blogging. Good bye for now!

…………………………..

Rwy’n mynd ar fy ngwylie am wythnos felly ni fyddaf yn blogio. Tara am nawr!

Dafydd Elis Thomas, below, launches a fight back regarding the number of LCO’s that the Welsh Affairs commitee must scrutinise following their statement that they were being ’swamped’ by new Assembly legislation down in Westminster. Here is a copy of the letter that Dafydd sent to Paul Murphy highlighting his viewpoint clearly, which was released to the press today.

………………………………….

Dyma Dafydd Elis Thomas yn ymateb i gwynion y pwyllgor materion cymreig lawr yn San Steffan am y ffaith nad ydynt yn medru ymdopi gyda’r nifer fawr o LCO’s sydd yn dod trwy’r system o dy’r Cynulliad. Dyma gopi o’r llythyr mae Dafydd Elis Thomas wedi anfon at Paul Murphy, sydd wedi cael ei rhyddhau i’r wasg heddiw.

Rt Hon Paul Murphy MP
Secretary of State for Wales
Gwydyr House
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2ER

Eich cyf . Your ref 08/Sub/693
Ein cyf . Our ref PO443

15 August 2008

Dear Paul,

I am very grateful for your letter of the 21 July, setting out your conclusions to the review into the scrutiny arrangements for orders in Council and framework powers. I am also grateful for the accompanying annexes, and for the copy of your letter to the chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee.

I write specifically in order to address an issue that the Welsh Affairs Select Committee referred to, in its recent memorandum to the Secretary of State for Wales, on the procedure for pre-legislative scrutiny of Legislative Competence Orders (LCOs). It states that the current volume of proposed Orders is “swamping the system, both at Westminster and in the Assembly” (Conclusion 13).

However, this conclusion, which has attracted much publicity, is, in my opinion, clearly contrary to the evidence actually set out in the memorandum itself.

The Assembly acquired its new legislative powers on the 25 May 2007. During the first twelve months following that date, 7 proposed LCOs were laid before the Assembly, five of which were proposed by the Assembly Government and two by back-benchers. As the memorandum itself makes clear, only four of these proposed Orders have as yet been referred to the Welsh Affairs Committee.

In paragraph 21 of its Memorandum, the Committee refers to the fact that it had expected to have to deal with “four or five LCOs annually”. In fact, it has only been asked to deal with four. Far from being swamped by more LCOs than expected, the number it has had to deal with has been at the lower end of what was estimated.

The Memorandum states that the Committee has already reported on three of the four LCOs referred to it, and expects to report on the fourth soon. In the Committee’s own words “We have published timely reports on all (sic.) of the proposed Orders which have been referred to us so far” (paragraph 2).

So the Committee’s claims about its performance during the first year of the process obviously does not support any suggestion that the system is being “swamped”.

Some confusion has however been caused by the Committee’s statement that “In fact the number of LCOs which have been proposed in the last 12 months has reached 11 already” (paragraph 22). The Committee has unjustifiably sought to compare this figure of 11 with the “four or five” LCOs which it expected to have to consider. The reference to a figure of 11 “proposed” LCOs in twelve months is incorrect and is seriously misleading in a number of respects.

The 11 “proposed” LCOs is in fact a list of all proposals for LCOs which have been announced by the Assembly Government and by individual AMs during the first 14 months since the new powers were acquired. It actually includes one proposal which has already been rejected by the Assembly itself as well as one whose principle has not yet even been considered by the Assembly and two (one from the Assembly Government and one from an individual AM) which have so far only been the subject of announcements and have not yet been laid before the Assembly.

In portraying a picture of a system in danger of being “swamped” the Welsh Affairs Committee has not compared like with like. It has sought, simultaneously, to raise groundless fears, based on a misleading figure of 11 proposed LCOs, that it will be “swamped” by the number of LCOs it is expected to consider, whilst at the same time claiming to have dealt with the four Orders actually referred to it in a “timely” way, although strictly it has only actually reported on 3 out of the 4 LCOs referred to it.

During the same period the Assembly’s own committees have, on the other hand, fully completed consideration and reported on 7 actual proposed LCOs, with no suggestion that this has imposed an excessive strain on the Assembly’s more limited resources and certainly no claim that the system is being “swamped”.”

I hope this clarifies the present position in relation to the volume of LCOs being dealt with by the Select Committee following consideration by the National Assembly for Wales.

I am grateful to you for your review and emphasise my wish, and the wish of the National Assembly that the new legislative arrangements are made as effective as possible.
Yours ever,

Y Gwir Anrh yr Arglwydd Elis-Thomas AC, Llywydd
The Rt Hon the Lord Elis-Thomas AM, Presiding Officer

22 MPs have signed the following Early Day Motion to propose an optional alternative Oath of Allegiance to their constituents. I wholeheartedly agree with this initiative, and only hope that it can be changed both in Westminster and at the National Assembly for Wales. I would advise all those who feel the same to lobby their MPs to sign this EDM.

PARLIAMENTARY OATH12.06.2008

EDM 1780

Baker, Norman

That this House recognises that the principal duty of hon. Members is to represent their constituents in Parliament; also recognises that some hon. Members would prefer to swear an oath of allegiance to their constituents and the nation rather than the Monarch; and therefore calls on the Leader of the House to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce an optional alternative Parliamentary oath allowing hon. Members to swear allegiance to their constituents and the nation and to pledge to uphold the law rather than one pledging personal allegiance to the serving Monarch.

……………………………………….

Mae 22 ASau wedi arwyddo Datganiad Barn yn gofyn am y gallu i dyngu llw i’w hetholwyr yn lle tyngu llw i’r Frenhiniaeth. Rwyf yn cytuno gyda’r ymgyrch yma yn llawn, ac rwyf ond yn gobeithio y medrir yr un peth ddigwydd yn y Cynulliad. Byddaf yn ennyn y rheiny ohonoch sydd yn teimlo’n gryf am hwn i lobio eich AS lleol i arwyddo’r datganiad.

Here is a link to a blog/ website of a citizen journalist from America who has been travelling the globe for seven months, reporting on ’seven topics of freedom’. The project is spearheaded by Noel Hidalgo, who is currently reporting on China’s human rights abuses, with specific reference to the plight of those in Tibet.

Hat tip to Zadie Diaz for this information, who has also interviewed the activists on her web show Epic FU. I met Zadie while taking part in the British Council Transatlantic Network in Berlin in April, and she is one of the leading women globally in the development of new media.

………………………………………

Dyma linc i flog/wefan o ddinesydd newyddiadurwr o’r UDA sydd wedi bod yn teithio’r Byd am saith mis yn creu adroddiadau ar ’saith pwnc o heddwch’. Mae’r prosiect wedi ei greu gan Noel Hidalgo, sydd ar hyn o bryd yn adrodd ar camdriniaeth hawliau dynol Tseina, gan ganolbwyntio yn benodol ar achos diansyddion Tibet.

Hat tip i Zadie Diaz am y gwybodaeth yma, sydd hefyd wedi cyfweld ag actifyddion ar ei sioe gwefan Epic FU. Fe wnes i gwrdd a Zadie pan yn cymryd rhan yn Rhwydwaith y Cyngor Prydeinig ym Merlin ym mis Ebrill, ac mae hi yn fenyw sydd yn arwain yr agenda yn Fyd eang wrth ddatblygu cyfryngau newydd.

Now we know that Alun Ffred Jones has been drafted in to take over the Heritage ministerial portfolio, someone new should now become the Plaid group leader at the National Assembly from within the current group of AMs on the backbenches, in my view. I’ve ruled out any of the Ministers or Dafydd Elis Thomas as Presiding Officer, so I’ve created a poll to see who you think should lead our group on the backbenches. My name is included, but for the record, I wouldn’t want the job at this stage of my career. Neither would I get it!! After all, it will provide said individual with a good political platform, and a chance to establish a strong team of Plaid AMs on a scrutiny, backbench level. So get voting!

update- I’ve been informed by the party chair that there’s nothing in the standing orders which requires a new group leader, but I think personally that we should have a leader from outside the Ministerial team.
Another update- the correct term for the poll should be the Deputy Leader. I am sorry for the confusion.

……………………………………………………..

Nawr ein bod ni’n gwbod bod Alun Ffred Jones wedi cymryd y portfolio Gweinidogol Treftadaeth, mae’n rhaid i rhywun newydd o fewn grwp ACau y Cynulliad cael eu penodi fel arweinydd y grwp yn y Cynulliad. Dwi ddim wedi rhoi un o’r Gweinidogion na chwaith Dafydd Elis Thomas fel opsiwn yn sgil ei rol fel Llywydd y Cynulliad, felly rwyf wedi creu pol i weld pwy da chi’n meddwl dylai arwain y grwp ar y meinciau cefn. Mae fy enw i yn rhan o’r rhestr, ond dwi ddim yn credu fy mod i moyn cael fy mhenodi yn y fath swydd yr adeg yma yn fy ngyrfa, a dwi ddim yn credu fydda i’n cael e hefyd rhywsut!! Wedi’r cyfan, mi fydd y swydd yn rhoi llwyfan gwleidyddol gwych i un o’r ACau, a siawns clir i sefydlu’r grwp fel tim cryf ar y meinciau cefn. Felly pleidleisiwch!

diweddariad- dwi wedi cael gwbod gan gadeirydd y Blaid nad oes dim byd yn rheolau’r blaid i ddweud bod angen arweinydd newydd i’r grwp, ond dwi o’r farn y byddai’n dda cael rhywun o tu allan i’r grwp Gweinidogol i gymryd y rol penodol hwn.

diweddariad arall- y term cywir ar gyfer y pol yw dirprwy arweinydd y grwp. Sori am y gymhlethdod.

So, we’ve made quite a big deal here in Wales, and rightly so, about the fact that our athletes cannot fly the Welsh flag at the Olympics, despite a Welsh woman being the first of the team GB to win a Gold medal there this year. Adam Price MP has floated the idea previously that Wales should have its own Olympic team, and so too did Dr Geraint Tudur, general secretary of the Union of Welsh Independents when the news of the Welsh flag ban was released during the Eisteddfod last week. In fact, Dr Tudur went as far as to say ‘that this is contrary to the Olympic Charter itself which insists on “respect for universal fundamental ethical principles”.

Wales will surely continue the crusade in reversing this anomaly on the part of the Olympic organisers to ban the Welsh flag, and will push to further Welsh sporting achievements on an International level, but in the meantime, I am interested in finding out what your opinions are with regards to the fact that Welsh athletes must sing God Save the Queen at events where they represent Britain. The campaign group Republic (a group that lobbies for a directly elected head of state in the UK) has recently launched a new blog, the latest entry arguing the case for a new national anthem to replace God Save the Queen, that athletes and the like can sing at such events.

Now, many Welsh people may not take issue with the Royal family itself, but many representing the UK currently may equally wish to sing an anthem that directly reflects their success, and their appreciation of where they come from. Does singing God Save the Queen reflect this reality? Does it matter what people sing on such occasions?

We all know that the Olympics is going to London in 2012, and I believe that discussions about identity and Nationality within Britain should take place before that event. Could it not be argued that Welsh Olympians should be allowed to choose to sing ‘Hen Wlad fy Nhadau’ instead of God Save the Queen, or as an addition to that anthem?  This could of course be the case for those from Scotland and Northern Ireland who may too seek to sing their respective anthems.

For those of us who are Welsh Republicans and Nationalists, the British anthem does not reflect our identity at all, yet the status quo remains. For how long is the question, especially as there is now a tide of interest in the effort to introduce an alternative oath of allegiance.