Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

I guess my New Year’s Resolution will have to be “I shall blog more often”… That’s if I can find the motivation to do it…

Only trouble is, I never usually make resolutions, though another of next year’s resolutions must be to win more seats for Plaid in the Westminster election. But I’d say that has to be a resolution for everyone in Plaid, and not just for me alone!  It’s totally within our grasp in many areas of Wales, and activists are working hard. Labour are looking better in the polls ( God only knows why) so I guess they are eager to go when they think they have a whisker’s chance of winning! 

It’s nearing Christmas, and I for one am very tired as is everyone else I’m sure. It’s been a busy term for me, but productive.

I was thinking of starting a grumpy old woman section for this blog. For people who know me, I think they would agree that it would be a good idea and a way to get things off my chest!!

 My grumpy blog for today is probably that I’m getting a bit frustrated with all the stories popping up still on Mohammed Ashgar’s defection ( some of you will say, well why you blogging about it then?- fair point indeed but hear me out…) But, all I want to say is that we should move on now.Yes it was bad, yes he treated his staff badly, yes there’s questions to be asked about why, and what and where but most people will just see that a Plaid AM has defected to the Tories. It’s not the best news story in the World. The normal person in the street isn’t aware of the gossip surrounding the situation, or the personalities involved. They just see one AM leaving a party for another.

I would say that we in Plaid need to be pro active now, and make sure that our members, our sections, our AMs and every other elected rep are well supported and are all positive about the future. Personally I don’t think we need to over analyse the work that we need to do on our internal party lists-people should be well aware of what they are signing up for before becoming candidates- especially our main policy objectives. Now its over to the Tories, and good luck!

Really bad news tonight that there’s been a fire at the Afan Lido in Port Talbot. I’m not sure if its affected the whole of the building, but it doesn’t seem good. From news reports I’ve read so far, the emergency services were quick to arrive at the scene. I’m going to ring the Council in the morning, and see what can be done. I’m sure  to raise  it on a Welsh Government level too in terms of whether the Council needs financial support for any work that will possibly need to be done on the building. So many events take place at the Lido that its a great shame that this has happened. I’m there most weeks for either charity events, or sports events I support.

The next few days I am in the region going about my work. I’m meeting with campaigners tomorrow evening who are concerned about the proposed closure of Ysgol Godre’r Graig in Pontardawe, and I’m also carol singing with a local school at an old people’s home. Tonight I went to the Urdd’s Carol evening in Porthcawl. It was a great evening, and the singing was equally as challenging for the audience as it was for the children….!

Below is the statement on Carwyn Jones’s new cabinet. Andrew Davies and Brian Gibbons are out. Lesley Griffiths and Huw Lewis are Deputy Ministers. I wonder whether Huw expected to be given a Ministerial position following on from the Labour leadership campaign? John Griffiths has been made Counsel General, with a newly created post for Jane Hutt as business and budget Minister. Leighton Andrews gets a promotion too, as does Carl Sargeant. Some happy people around the Bay, then, but some I am sure annoyed that they have been left out of the cabinet, or sidelined. This is the case in politics always! Plaid Minster’s stay the same, of course.

WRITTEN STATEMENT BY THE
WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT

Title: Cabinet Appointments

Date: 10 December 2009

By: Carwyn Jones, First Minister

I am writing to inform you that Her Majesty The Queen has approved the nominations for Welsh Ministers and Deputy Ministers in my Cabinet. The details are as follows:

Two new Ministers join the Cabinet – former Chief Whip Carl Sargeant becomes Minister for Social Justice and Local Government while former Deputy Regeneration Minister Leighton Andrews becomes Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning. Jane Hutt moves to a new portfolio as Minister for Business and Budget.

Two new Deputy Ministers have been appointed following portfolio changes creating two new portfolios. Lesley Griffiths becomes Deputy Minister for Skills, Innovation and Science while Huw Lewis will lead a newly created portfolio as Deputy Minister for Children. In this role Mr Lewis will have particular responsibility for co-ordination of Government matters relating to child poverty.

Details of my new Cabinet are as follows:

Ieuan Wyn Jones Deputy First Minister and Minister for
the Economy & Transport
Jane Hutt Business and Budget
Edwina Hart Health and Social Services
Jane Davidson Environment, Sustainability and Housing
Leighton Andrews Children, Education and Lifelong Learning
Carl Sargeant Social Justice and Local Government
Elin Jones Rural Affairs
Alun Ffred Jones Heritage

Deputy Ministers
Lesley Griffiths Skills, Innovation & Science
Jocelyn Davies Housing and Regeneration
Gwenda Thomas Social Services
Huw Lewis Children

John Griffiths Counsel General & Leader of the Legislative
Programme
Janice Gregory Chief Whip

A FEW weeks ago on this blog I promised to raise the question with Jane Hutt AM as to whether the Welsh Government would be taking part in the UK Government’s review of student fees.

I did this last week during a debate on the Higher Education strategy but, from the Minister’s response, it is clear to me that she is not taking part in the process. Considering that Welsh students will be impacted upon by any proposed changes to the system, I would have thought that the Minister would be taking an active role in it. I intend to write to the Students Unions in Wales following on from this to see what their opinions are in relation to this.

Here’s the question -

Bethan Jenkins: You will be aware of the announcement made by the UK Government at the beginning of the month that Lord Bourne will chair a new review into higher education and students fees on a UK level. Will you be taking part in this consultation, as a Welsh Minister, because a number of Welsh students will be affected by a possible hike in fees? Is there any way in which the Assembly strategy will change, specifically with regard to the graduate recruitment scheme and the bursary scheme, if higher fees are introduced on a UK level?

Jane Hutt: I assure you, Bethan, that the announcements that I made in March or June on the redirection of student finance, the abolition or the phasing out of the tuition fee grant, on a fairer and more equitable national bursary scheme, a new scheme to offer a measure of debt relief to students, and the graduate employment scheme, are all essential parts of the delivery of this plan for Wales.

On another note, I should congratulate Carwyn Jones for being elected as leader of the Labour party in Wales. He’s not First Minister yet, for all those twitterers and Facebook status updaters who are adamant that he is already in the post.

Clearly, Carwyn Jones has to restore trust with Plaid Ministers, which came into question last week following the statement from Peter Hain and Rhodri Morgan on the referendum, when he becomes First Minister. I don’t think we will be ready to take on any dithering or stalling on this most important matter from the Labour party, especially considering that it is written in black and white in the One Wales agreement. It’s Carwyn Jones’ duty to show leadership, and to take the Labour party with him in campaigning for a yes vote.

What was good to see, however, was the media coverage of the election of Carwyn Jones as leader. Today, I believe he was on the Daily Politics show. Nonetheless, coverage of Welsh matters should be a given, not only when there are events of significance in Wales.

I am off to prepare my short debate on opencast mining that I am delivering today as a short debate  in the Siambr. You can join me by watching it on Senedd TV.

This week in the Senedd, I helped to launch the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) new ambassadors and patrons scheme. The new ambassadors are Penny Lloyd, Robin Moulster, Ian Woolrich and Nick Lovell. They are former chairs of the BASW, and I look forward to working with them on raising awareness of the work of social workers, especially given that the BASW has appointed me as a patron. I was honoured that they asked me to be a patron, and I now want to assure them that I will do what I can to raise awareness of the work that they do, and help with their campaign and lobby work here in Wales.

The event in the Senedd was used to demonstrate the good work that social workers are achieving, providing BASW members with extra support and advice, where experienced social workers can champion others and help them achieve their goals. In recent years, the national media has reported on a number of high profile cases that involve children at risk, often highlighting negative aspects of social work. These cases are often shocking. Nonetheless, the BASW were motivated to implement this new programme after they became concerned that such negative reporting could be having an impact on the morale of social workers and the industry as a whole.

There are many reasons why we should celebrate the work that social workers do. The Welsh Government has recently set up a social work task force group and I hope that this group will discuss issues around staff retention, a national pay framework, and raise the profile of social workers in Wales. If you want to find out more about the scheme, email wales@basw.co.uk

I visited the Discovery Centre near Margam Park today to see the Mentro Allan ( Venture Out) project in action. It’s a collection of projects supported by the Big Lottery fund and a national partnership with the aim of increasing physical activity levels among young people at risk of disengagement.

The visit was organised by the Sports Council of Wales in conjunction with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. I decided to find out more about what is happening in the area with physical activity and well-being partly because I am the culture spokesperson for Plaid Cymru at the National Assembly, and met with Sports Council staff on a Wales level to talk about some of the main issues, and also because I feel passionately about using the natural environment as a way of increasing physical activity, ultimately seeking to encourage people to take ownership for the local programmes, and get their own communities involved.

I have shadowed staff from many different organisations as an AM, from Gofal Cymru and Trothwy Housing Association Officers to following a welfare rights officer, and I wanted to see how the local authority worked with the Sports Council in making schemes like 5×60 work on the ground, as well as implementing Dragon Sports and other projects like it.

I was very impressed with the Discovery Centre. I had not been there before, and it is an excellent facility for groups which can use it for a variety of activities. I was given a presentation of the work that the council carries out in relation to this field, and was told about how it works strategically with the Sports Council and the Welsh Assembly Government in delivering their aims.

As might be expected, there are problems arising from grants and other various funding streams coming to an end soon, and that Wales has been hit by the decrease in Lottery funding. I promised to pursue this with the Welsh Assembly Government and other funding bodies.

We were also shown a video of the 5×60 work that takes place in Cwrt Sart Comprehensive School in Neath, and informed of the work of the 5×60 officers in the schools. It is clear that Neath Port Talbot, like every other authority in Wales, is facing cuts in its budget, so it’s important that schemes are put in place which are sustainable and do not cost huge sums of money to run effectively.

I later met with a group of pupils from the area who are part of the Mentro Allan scheme. The pupils on the scheme were making bird feeding boxes to later place around the park. They carried out this work with enthusiasm- and without hurting themselves! The work that the volunteers do with these groups is phenomenal, and it was great to meet them, as they too had once benefited from the Mentro Allan scheme when they were in school.

Following on from that, I went to meet those who were taking part in a workshop to set up healthy food in schools forums, which was taking place in the Orangery building of Margam Park. Children from schools across the borough had turned up voluntarily to learn about nutrition and healthy eating, so that they could then go back to their schools and set up forums on how to guide their schools on the appropriate food for their school canteens. I hope to keep a keen eye on this development, and assess whether such forums can work in practice especially if schools have outsourced catering, where business rules the day.

All in all, I had an enjoyable morning despite the rain. I intend to visit them again to look at how other projects work on a grassroots level. Considering the high levels of inactivity in the borough, its vital that the council, the Sports Council and the Welsh Government work together to ensure that these statistics are improved upon, and that the facilities that are available are something that we can all be proud of – and use regularly.

On Saturday I will be taking part in the Gates Scholards Community Coffehouse webinar, under the theme of  ‘Breaking in to Politics’. It is organized by the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, Gates Millennium Scholarship and the British Council, and I am taking part due to my involvement in the British Council Transatlantic Network. You can register to tak part in the webinar here. If you want more information email coffeehouse@gatesscholar.org.

The aim of the discussion is to show the transition in the relationship between youth and politics. Here is how it is being advertised by the organisers -

‘W ith the maturation of social media and communication tools, a younger generation of citiznes are now able to engage in political elections, campaigning, advocacy and the political process in unprecendented numbers. This wave of youth participation has brought with it a new energy and perspecitce, but also brings a new set of social, professional and political challenges. This teleconference will discuss the challenges, strategies and reweards of youhg engagement in politics. Specific topics will include running for office, developing a platform, pursuing fundraising and support, utlizing information technologies, and life in office’.

The panelists are as follows:

· Mr. Matthew Varilek, Economic Development Director for Sen. Tim Johnson (Gates Cambridge Scholar) (moderator)

· Ms. Kesha Ram, Member of the Vermont House of Representatives (Udall Scholar, Truman Scholar)

· Mr. Jamarr Brown, Vice Chair for the South Carolina Democratic Party (Gates Millennium Scholar)

· Ms. Marietje Schaake, Member of the European Parliament, Netherlands (TN 2020)

and myself of couse, an an Assembly member and a member of TN2020.

….BUT this time it’s the long awaited review by the Labour Westminster government on top-up fees, which was announced at the beginning of this week. Lord Bourne, the former Chief of BP, is heading the review group, and he will report to government. The group will also consider the cost of higher education to the taxpayer – and, of course, the thorny issue of increased fees for students.

Now a review is all well and good, but if it is to happen and to work well, then there should be  a cross section of society represented on the review group. The National Union of Students is angry that there is only one student representative on the group. But if it is so concerned now, then why was one representative sufficient enough for Wales when Ben Gray, the former President of NUS Wales, sat on Jane Hutt’s group? I don’t remember such outrage then.

Wes Streeting, the NUS President, has noted his worry that this review will merely pave the way for higher fees, with some claiming that they are now a foregone conclusion. Again, I did not hear this point being made in Welsh review by the NUS.  In fact, the union here did the opposite, and effectively agreed to changes that have culminated in the imminent introduction of higher fees for Welsh students studying here in Wales. 

There is a clear inconsistency in the positions taken by the NUS and its Welsh counterpart. For example, Wes Streeting told The Guardian this week that higher fees will lead to the marketisation of HE. I said exactly the same when we debated this at the National Assembly in March, but NUS Wales remained silent on the issue.

This all comes at a time when students face massive debts, and when young people are being hit the worst by the recession. Most people know my view on what happened here in Wales, but now I hope that Westminster does not introduce higher fees because I worry that Wales will have to follow suit. The Welsh Assembly Government will be left with little choice in the matter.

I intend to raise this issue with Jane Hutt, and to ask how she will be taking part in the Westminster review process. After all, it will affect a large proportion of Welsh students who currently have to pay top-up fees if they attend universities in England. So far, when I have asked this question of her during question sessions at the National Assembly, she has indicated that she is waiting for the review to be announced on a Westminster level. Now that it has, I can see no reasons for stalling this process. It should be the  duty of the Welsh Assembly Government to ensure that it has proper input into the Westminster review.

Mae’r drafodaeth ar yr LCO  ar yr Iaith Gymraeg wedi bod yn fywiog heddiw, ac eto cadarnhau i nifer fawr ohonom pam bod angen refferendwm ar Senedd i Gymru- fel nad oes rhaid i ni gymryd rhan mewn broses mor gymhleth,  hir wyntog ac anghynaladwy. Wrth gwrs, rwy’n hapus iawn bod yr LCO yn cael ei gymeradwyo, ond ni ddylem orfod ofyn i San Steffan am bwerau dros ein hiaith ein hun.

Dwi’n fawr edrych ymlaen at adroddiad y Confensiwn Cenedlaethol ar fwy o bwerau i Gymru,  ond dwi wedi bod o’r barn ers tro fyd nawr bod angen i wleidyddion o bob Plaid dod at ei gilydd i drafod goblygiadau trefnu ymgyrch Ie dros Senedd i Gymru, a pharatoi am refferendwm fel bod modd ei hennill yn llwyddiannus. 

Heddiw, yn ystod y drafodaeth ar yr LCO dywedodd Alun Davies AC bod e am weld refferedwm yn digwydd ar ol etholiad Cyffredinol. Dwi ddim yn deall pam bod e wedi bod mor hir, ac mor anodd, i meincwyr cefn Llafur ddod allan o blaid gweithredu refferendwm cyn nawr.

 Tasa Aelodau’r Blaid Lafur, a phob Plaid arall wedi ymateb i fy ngalwad y flwyddyn diwethaf am drafodaeth ar y refferendwm, yna byddem wedi datblygu mwy o syniadaeth a chonsensws ar y mater erbyn hyn,  yn fy marn i. 

Yn anffodus, ni ddigwyddodd hynny, ond ni fyddaf yn troi fy nghefn ar ACau sydd am ddatgan cefnogaeth i’r angen am refferendwm, yn enwedig am mai’r rheswm yw anhawster gweithredu’r system LCO presenol. Dwi am weithio gyda unrhyw AC neu grwp neu fudiad sydd o blaid cynnal refferendwm.

 Dwi ond yn gobeithio fod Alun Davies AC yn siarad ar rhan Carwyn Jones AC, y person mae e’n cefnogi i ennill y ras i fod yn Brif Weinidog Cymru pan yn datgan barn am yr angen am refferendwm.

 Mae’n bryd i bob ymgeisydd dweud yn glir eu barn ar y refferendwm, a’r ymdrech fydden nhw’n rhoi mewn i ymgyrchu yn gadarnhaol yn rhan o’r refferendwm hynny.

I am becoming quite the infrequent blogger. Apologies, but I haven’t had a press/political officer for a while now, which means I’ve been running around trying to sort everything out. I welcome a new staff member, a Mr Duncan Higgitt to the team tomorrow, and I am looking forward to working with him. There’s plenty of campaigns and work to be getting on with, that’s for sure so no rest for the wicked!

It’s hard to know where to start I’ve been away from the blogosphere for so long. The furore over the former Government drugs adviser who was dismissed over the weekend has dominated the headlines. This is over his opposition to the reclassification of cannabis, and research that his council carried out. Tonight we learn that two of his colleagues on the scientific panel have resigned their positions in fury at how Dr Nutt has been treated. It is quite something when the government appoints such experts ( minus expenses) and dismisses their advice if it does not fit in with their view of how policy should be developed( or the red tops, I should add) . I’m no specialist in this field, but I think the government has got it wrong, and Alan Johnson will face further set backs, for sure.

Another issue to note is the Postal strike that has taken place, and the continued threat of more strikes by the CWU as they cannot come to an agreement with the Royal Mail. I support the strikes, as I know that this decision wasn’t made lightly. If the CWU did not strike, and carried on negotiations purely in private, it is questionable how much support they could garner if ( being the cynic) the Royal Mail backtracked on their promises to staff at a later stage.

Look at what is happening to former Visteon staff in Swansea, who were promised the same pension packages as their Ford colleagues. They now face losing up to 50% of their pensions when they are transferred to the public protection fund, given that Ford management insist that they are not party to the same rights and pension liabilities as Ford workers. This is enough for us to know that the Union’s, and politicians like myself must defend such workers and their rights.

I will blog more often, I assure you, but now I have work to do…

Considering that I notified readers of this blog that Edwina Hart and Huw Lewis have put their names in the ring to stand for leader of the Labour party in Wales, and the future First Minister of Wales, I thought it only fair to tell you that Carwyn Jones AM has now entered the fray earlier this week.

They all have websites, twitter pages and youtube videos. Who will use them to the greatest of effect is yet to be seen.

 I must say that I had a quiet chuckle at Carwyn’s attack at Plaid’s policy on independence when launching his campaign. It was obvious that he did this as the myth out there is that he is a closet Nationalist, and thus needed to come out all hardline against ‘the nats’ to show his party how faithful he is to them, and to them only.

 What this has got to do with the Labour leadership race is questionable, but it may be that he is hinting at the fact that he is not a pushover in working with Plaid in government, and that he remains committed to the Union. So that’s clarified everything then.

So we are advised to leave it to the Labour party to fight it out from here on in by Adam Higgitt over on Wales Home. He has indicated that it is a ‘risk’ for other parties to enter the discussion. Nonetheless, if any sparky policy ideas are floated, or if any of the discussions impact on One Wales, I reserve my right to comment!