Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

Dwi ddim yn mynd i’r Eisteddfod eleni. Doedd o ddim yn dewis penderfynnol i beidio mynd, dim ond i’m dyddiadur dechrau llenwi, ac wedyn ‘nes i sylweddoli bod e’n rhy anodd i ail- drefnu popeth…

Mae’r Eisteddfod heb os yn wyl pwysig iawn i Gymru- yn dod a cherddorion, dramodwyr a llu o artisitiaid eraill oll ynghyd; yn rhoi cyfle euraidd i arddangos dawn pobl Cymru; i ni gymdeithasu, rhannu syniadau. Mae’r rhestr yn ddi-diwedd.

Ond, (mae yna ond yn anffodus!) pan oeddwn i’n tyfu fyny, roedd cwrs Cerddorfa Cymru o hyd yn digwydd yn ystod wythnos y Steddfod, ac roedd ein cwrs preswyl yn Llanbed. Wrth gwrs, cafon ni’r cyfle fel Cerddorfa i ganu ar y maes ( os mewn amgylchiadau anodd ar adegau) ond dwi ddim yn un o’r bobl hynny felly oedd yn mynd i aros ar Faes B bob haf,( yr adram ieuenctid) neu yn mynd i ryw lawer o gigs ayb.

Am y rheswm hynny, efallai fy mod i’n fwy parod i fod yn oddrychol wrth asesu’r Eisteddfod. Y cwestiwn mawr i mi o hyd yw’r angen i drefnwyr yr Eisteddfod ehangu apel yr Eisteddfod i ddysgwyr, ac i bawb yng Nghymru. Disgrifiodd Rhys Llwyd yr wyl ar ei dudalen twitter fel ‘prif ddinas symudol y Cymry Cymraeg’- ond nid dyna dylai’r Steddfod bod yn fy marn i. Gwyl i BAWB yng Nghymru yw’r Eisteddfod, ac os ydym yn mynd i ddweud yn wahanol- ei fod am y ‘Cymry Cymraeg’ yn ecsgliwsif, rwy’n sicr y bydd yna llawer o bobl na fydd yn ystyried mynychu’r Steddfod, gan edrych arno fel rhywbeth estron iddynt, a’u cefndir.

Mae yna ymgeisiadau i ehangu ar gyfleusterau i ddysgwyr ac i bobl lleol sydd a ddiddordeb yn yr Eisteddfod- i bobl nad sydd  erioed wedi bod i’r Eisteddfod- ond nid yw’r ymgeisiadau eto yn ddigonol yn fy marn i. Dwi wedi siarad gyda nifer o bobl yn y gorffennol sydd wedi cerdded o gwmpas y maes yn hollol anwybodus am yr  hyn oedd o’u hamgylch, ac wedi gadael heb hyd yn oed yn deall bod yna pafiliwn mawr yn y canol llawn digwyddiadau celfyddodol amrywiol! Mae nifer o bobl nad sy’n siarad cymraeg hefyd yn ofni siarad saesneg ar y maes rhag iddynt derbyn stwr. Dwi’n siarad o brofiad pan yn dweud bod yr ofn yma yn teilwng iawn! Blwyddyn diwethaf, fe ddaeth hen fenyw lan ata i i rhoi stwr i mi am ddefnyddio gair saesneg mewn brawddeg cymraeg. Sut ydy agwedd cul fel hwn yn ennyn dysgwyr i’r maes, tybed, os ydy siaradwyr sydd yn rhugl yn cael problemau?!

Yn fy marn i, mae angen mwy o bobl ar y maes i ateb cwestiynnau am yr Eisteddfod, i esbonio i bobl beth sy’n digwydd. Nid pawb sydd yn gwbod sut i ffeindio stondyn Cowbois neu Shwl Di Mwl gyda’u llygaid ar gau. Mae angen ennyn mwy o ysgolion di-gymraeg a grwpiau lleol i ymwneud a’r Eisteddfod, ac ennyn y diddordeb hynny hyd yn oed pan nad yw’r Eisteddfod yn eu hardaloedd penodol nhw. Mae Blaenau Gwent yn enghraifft perffaith.

Dyw hwn ddim yn critique o’r Eisteddfod. Mae barnu digwyddiadau mae’r Cymry Cymraeg yn trefnu yn gallu bod yn anodd weithiau. Dwi’n mwynhau pan dwi’n mynd, ond eto’i gyd, dwi’n nabod llawer o’r bobl sy’n mynychu blwyddyn ar ol blwyddyn. Dyw e ddim yn estron i mi.

Da ni gyd yn ymwybodol o broblemau ariannol yr Eisteddfod. Efallai nawr yw’r amser felly i wir asesu ei llwyddiant, ac i sicrhau bod e’n wyl lle mae pawb o Gymru yn cael croeso cynnes… ac i dwristiaid wrth gwrs!

The more I read about the introduction of ID Cards, the more farcical it seems. The man now in charge with introducing the scheme is the Home Secretary Alan Johnson, the man tipped to take over from Gordon Brown if ever an opening is created. What difference will he make as PM if he cannot take a stand, and admit that the whole concept of the ID card is defunct, and is a waste of money?

The very fact that the Government appears to have back-tracked, and has stated that it is a voluntary scheme is testament to their failure in this area. I never believed that the ID card would protect me in any way before their planned introduction, however the No to ID website informs us to be on guard, as even though the system is voluntary, the government’s plan to roll out the system across the UK stands. This is from their website-

‘The bad news is that the legislation has not changed, nor has the intention. The plan is as it was. From some time in 2011 an application for a passport will mean you must also apply for registration on the National Identity Register — the ID database. You will be said to have ‘volunteered’. Once on the Register you will be required to be fingerprinted at your own expense and report yourself to the authorities for life. The card is a red herring. It is the database that matters.

The good news is all opposition parties are now committed to abolishing the Register, if they gain power.

The bad news is that the Identity and Passport Service intends to build a Register anyway, pretending that the components are necessary for changes to passports. And regulations setting out the details of the scheme have been hustled through the House of Commons, despite only a handful of fanatics being prepared to speak in their favour. And the Register is still planned to form the centre-piece of a revolution in government according to the Safeguarding Identity (pdf) strategy.

The good news is that so far only 3,500 people in total have registered with the Home Office their interest in having an ID card. We intend to tell them the bad news about life-long compulsory registration, and see how many still want to complete their application’.

And yesterday, Alan Johnson launched the new design of the ID cards, to be rolled out first in Manchester. (I am sure they are over the moon to be the guinea pigs of invasions to their privacy) The launch has also sparked debate as the ID cards will not include the Union flag so as not to offend the rights of ‘Irish Nationals’ in Northern Ireland ( How sensitive of the Home Office, I hear you cry).

Instead they can have their own personal cards, or a floral pattern made up of the shamrock, daffodil, thistle and rose alongside the Royal Coat of Arms. Given the fact that the data of people from Northern Ireland will still be kept on a ‘UK’ database, the argument about what is on the card is, I can guess, irrelevant to them.

When we look at Wales, then let us take joy in the fact that we will be able to apply for a card in Welsh, but the card itself will not be bilingual. Again, this is merely a side issue to the fact that they are trying to put a gloss on a scheme that is clearly a waste of money.

And by the way, do we really seriously believe that the introduction of such cards will stop fraud or ‘terrorism’? My guess is no, it will not. Cynically, this is just another way for the Government to collect data on us, and for what purpose other than to curtail our rights and freedoms?

I’m just off to watch Big Brother. Have a good one.

These are the rules as explained on Iain Dale’s blog-

Email your ten favourite blogs (ranked from 1-10) to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com

It’s that time of year again, when Total Politics asks you to vote for your Top 10 favourite blogs. The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2009-10, which will be published in September. This year the poll is being promoted/sponsored by LabourList and LibDemVoice as well as our publisher Iain Dale’s blog.

The rules are simple.

1. You must vote for your ten favourite blogs and ranks them from 1 (your favourite) to 10 (your tenth favourite).
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If you have your own blog, please do encourage your readers to take part. Last year, more than 80 blogs did so. We hope this year it will be far more than that. BUT, DO NOT list ten blogs you think your readers should vote for. Any duplicate voting of this nature will be disallowed. If you do not wish for your blog to be voted for please email katy.scholes@totalpolitics.com. You will see a list of the blogs who have chosen not to be included in the comments shortly.

There are many ways of measuring a blog’s popularity. Wikio and Technorati have complicated logarithms which measure the importance of incoming links and traffic. Google Analytics does it by measuring how many people visit. But our poll gives blog readers the opportunity to vote for the ones they like and visit most often. It’s not scientific. It’s impossible to achieve 100% balance and we don’t pretend it’s perfect.
The results of the poll will be published in the forthcoming book the TOTAL POLITICS GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING IN THE UK which will be published in mid September in association with APCO Worldwide.
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I think I’ve been suffering from bloggers block over the last week so apologies for my absence. Its not to say that I haven’t been keeping people updated on twitter of course, but blogging has undoubtedly been light. I’ve also promised to review Patrick Hannan’s new book for the blog Waleshome.org, but I am somewhat behind time on completing that one:-(

The Assembly’s in recess and as far as I’m aware, AMs are in their regions or constituencies getting on with their work (Although if you are Huw Lewis you are mapping out your Labour leadership campaign while Rhodri Morgan sits in his West Wales caravan.. and rumour has it that at least one AM has swine flu and so will inevitably be confined to reading reports from the isolation of his or her’s home. Tedious! ) Val Lloyd AM has decided that this is a good time to announce her retirement at the next Assembly election, and so there will be more vying for seats. I bet there will be another announcement before the end of recess. Got to keep the Welsh journo’s on their toes, don’t you think?!

And this was the week when the Labour party lost tragically to the Tories in the Norwich North by-election. This is a party, remember, that historically does not fare well in such elections. The Labour meltdown is clear to see for even the most unpolitical in our midst, and the same old Brown bashers are out vying for his blood- Charles Clarke, John McDonnell to name a few. But, the most important story from this was that Chloe Smith has stolen my mantle as the youngest parliamentarian in the UK by being elected to the House of Commons! An article in today’s Independent ( by a 26 year old male, I hasten to add) tells us how her being elected so young is not a positive thing. The claim is that she may have peaked far too young, just like William Hague ( excuse me while I vomit!) All I’ll say is if she can perform well, and do her job effectively then her age is neither here not there. You would expect me to say that, I can guess…

Nonetheless, I am not convinced that her success reflects a sea change in the attitude of the Tories towards women and their role in the party. If they want true equality, then they need to do a whole lot more yet. Nick Bourne has come up with some sort of attempt of late for enshrining equality in how Tories in Wales elect women and those from ethnic minorities, although I am a little cynical about his suggestion to place women at the top of regional lists, but not when there is a male incumbent. Self interest at work? Yes, definitely!

But no political party can claim to stand out from the crowd when promoting women in politics. So don’t construe this post as me taking the moral high ground in Plaid. Plaid, if anything, has gone back a step in progress. I am convinced there will be fewer female AMs post election in 2011.  At least the men will be happy again.
Another story of note this week has been the Lib dems u-turn on top-up fees. Now, everyone knows my opinion on this, and the arguments that I have had in Plaid over retaining our opposition to top-up fees. Yet what riles me is that the Lib dems tried to make political capital from this in Wales, and tried to take the moral high-ground. What we now see is Nick Clegg deciding to drop their plan to scrap University tuition fees as one of the party’s main objectives, in order to show how they will deal with potential cuts to public services. Not a good move for a party that relies heavily on student votes and activists. So the next time the Lib dems throw comments at me in the chamber about Plaid Cymru, I will remind them of Nick Clegg for sure.

So I will leave it at that for now, and return sooner than last time…promise!

I’ve just read Victoria Winckler’s post on the new Bevan Foundation blog, “This is my Truth’ about Communities First. She is writing in reaction to the Wales Audit Office report on Communities First (CF), which highlights many failings in how  CF is monitored across the board, how programmes are implemented, and how one of the flagship programmes of the Labour Government at the birth of devolution may not be successful in the future due to lack of ‘programme bending’( this means essentially tailoring local authority run or WAG run programmes to specifically apply to those in Communities First areas)

The One Wales document commits to the ongoing work of Communities First, which has now morphed in to ‘Communities Next’. We took evidence from the Auditor General on this at our last Audit committee meeting of the term, and he stated his concern about why a change in direction of the delivery of the programme has come about, when the Welsh Assembly Government does not appear to have clear evidence as to the success of past schemes and projects to date.

There’s no doubting the fact that Communities First has helped develop communities in many areas of Wales. Nonetheless,its success is very patchy, especially given that the concept conflicts with how Local Authorities seek to deliver services on the basis of treating all areas equally. My concern is that although programmes were set up to build confidence in many of the most deprived areas of Wales- establishing well -being groups, youth groups and so forth, it has failed in one of its core aims of increasing economic activity.

The Auditor General recognised that such goals could not be achieved by Communities First coordinators alone, but if this was the case, then the Welsh Assembly Government should have been honest about this from the outset. It seems to me that the WAG should also have prioritised this agenda across every Government department. This was clearly not the case from 2000 onwards, and reminds me of the way in which the child poverty agenda has suffered due to this lack of cross departmental work.

 When will Communities First as a concept end if it cannot address issues such as economic inactivity and social deprivation? Without the financial levers in Wales to vary taxation or to change the benefits system, it is clear that if CF is to be retained, then its goal posts must change to reflect what is actually possible for the Welsh Assembly Government to achieve. Concentrating on setting up social enterprise is one way forward, to be sure.

Another area of note in the Auditor General’s report was how Communities First areas are decided upon. There are many differing definitions across Britain and the EU of ‘deprivation’, and I know from experience that tensions have arisen when one area has been designated a Communities First area, and when an equally deprived village nearby has been left outside the programme. We heard that in Caerphilly, there are local officers in every locality so as not to differentiate between non CF and CF areas, but we need to understand if this is successful in alleviating tensions between communities?

The one controversial thing I would like to say, which members of the Labour party will not appreciate, is that many Communities First programmes are run by Labour party members, and it is very difficult for anyone outside the Labour Party to get involved. This is not the case everywhere in Wales I hasten to add, but I have heard on an anecdotal basis how Plaid members for instance  have been blocked from working with teams on numerous occasions, and do not find out about events run by Communities First in their area. Yes, the programme is a Labour baby, born out of devolution, but I genuinely hope that this type of local parochialism is changing. We can’t succeed in rebuilding communities if some people are excluded from trying to make that a reality- whether they represent Labour, Plaid or the Tories.

The Audit Committee has committed to carrying out an inquiry in to Communities First next term. It is questionable why it has taken so long for a committee inquiry to be initiated on this topic, but I have my own views on that.

As a committee we can look at how the programme is being delivered, question whether it is value for money, and so forth. What we can’t say is whether strategically, or in relation to policy, this is the right way forward for Wales.  That is for the Welsh Assembly Government to decide….

This is a statement below that Ieuan Wyn Jones AM delivered on the floor of the Senedd a short while ago. I think its really forward looking- integrating train, road travel and public transport, as well as being a truely all Wales plan.

 I know already from what I’ve seen on social networking sites that many green campaigners are pleased that the M4 relief road is not happening now. There are alternatives to the relief road outlined in the plan, but as was typical today, the Tories in the chamber more or less dismissed them.  So much for Cameron’s green agenda!

I’d like to know where they would get a billion pounds from to implement the new relief road, that’s for sure! The Tories were also complaining about the fact that there will be no new road to Cardiff Airport, which incidentally, the Airport itself does not want. This coupled by the fact that Tory AMs have been supporting various local groups AGAINST developing new routes to the airport, despite saying today on record that they were disappointed with the Minister for not delivering on this one. Hypocritical? Yes, definitely.

I though Ieuan performed superbly today in the Senedd. Well done!

National Transport Plan
Date:
15 July 2009
By:
Ieuan Wyn Jones, Deputy First Minister & Minister for the Economy and Transport

I am pleased to present for consultation the National Transport Plan, the Welsh Assembly Government’s first comprehensive plan for delivering an integrated transport system.

Assembly Members will recall that last year I published the Welsh Assembly Government’s first ever Wales Transport Strategy: Connecting the Nation.

The plan which is presented to you today details the action we intend to take in line with that strategy – and it is based on three key principles:

- to meet the demand for enhanced mobility to enable economic growth and to improve the quality of life we seek for the people of Wales.

- to put transport onto a more sustainable and less carbon-intensive path
- and to use transport funding more effectively in light of increasing pressures on public finances

I am very grateful to the Ministerial Advisory Group, led by Richard Parry-Jones, for their advice on the transport network and I have accepted the vast majority of their recommendations.

Transport is a consistent thread that contributes to the success of many Welsh Assembly Government strategies. Newly acquired powers have given us the opportunity to use that thread to weave together the patchwork of transport provision across the nation, from roads to railways, and buses to bicycles.

But there is more we must do. We must work towards a decarbonised transport system, where people are able to choose healthier and more sustainable modes of travel. That is why we are aiming to increase the number of people walking or cycling. In our programme for Sustainable Travel Towns we will invest in new, and link existing, walking and cycling routes. Across the wider network we have plans to increase the provision of bicycle facilities on trains, at stations and in towns and cities.

We must develop our transport system to ensure that it continues to support economic prosperity, especially when we are faced with the global challenges of an economic downturn, like we are now.

This means a transport system that allows people to access services and removes barriers for people seeking jobs, particularly in less prosperous areas.

The Eddington Report stressed the importance of a long-term strategic outlook, which we have in Connecting the nation.

It also points out that investment should concentrate where economic success has concentrated demand, notably around urban areas, at international gateways and on busy inter-urban corridors where congestion, delay and reliability are already real issues.

In addition, we must also add to this our goal of spreading access to economic prosperity across Wales – particularly to the Convergence areas from the North West to the South Wales Valleys. We must ensure that areas and communities which lag behind because they have been hit by the decline of traditional industries can benefit from a resurgent economy.

The National Transport Plan sets out what we will be doing to firmly put us on the path to delivering the Welsh Assembly Government’s vision, over the next five years.

It is set out in a way that reflects the four main movement corridors in Wales – east-west in the north, mid and south, and north-south. As well as proposals that are relevant across Wales.

The proposals for the main corridors share two aims – to improve the reliability, quality and speed of rail and to improve journey times and safety on the main trunk roads

In the North West the plan outlines how we wish to address network and capacity issues on the A55 which will ensure more reliable journey times and help support the Môn a Menai regeneration programme. The work will include capacity for walkers and cyclists.

In the North East we will identify the most appropriate and sustainable transport solutions to deal with the pressures in the area between Wrexham Chester and Deeside.

Our programme of continued improvements to the North/South rail services will also improve east/west rail journeys in this region. We are committed to develop plans to enhance the capacity of the section of rail between Shrewsbury and Chester via Wrexham – enabling all north-South services to be routed through Wrexham.

Our aim in terms of North/South links is to increase dramatically the proportion of journeys that are made by public transport through improving rail travel and the TrawsCambria bus network. Over time we will see a better service, covering more communities in greater comfort.

Across Wales we have plans that will bring to an end the need for different tickets for different bus and rail journeys in Wales. A Welsh Transport Entitlement Card will offer people the ability to have one ticket for their journey.

In terms of North/South road links I have outlined my priorities in the trunk road programme – with improvements being made to the A470, the A487 and the A483 and the completion of the Ceredigion link road.

We are also examining opportunities for using “2 plus 1” lanes and passing lanes to improve North/South journey times, reliability and safety for cars, public transport, walkers and cyclists.

Improving connectivity in Mid Wales, including east/west links, is an important factor if we are to enhance the vibrancy of towns and villages in these rural areas.

Work will be complete next year to enhance the Cambrian Lines by providing additional passing loops. This will allow us to introduce hourly services between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury. We will also develop plans to introduce additional services on the Heart of Wales line.

Many of the improvements to the main road arteries in Mid Wales were outlined in the trunk road programme but we will also work with the UK Government to deliver the intervention identified for the A458.

In terms of East/ West rail links in South Wales we are working with the UK Government and the rail industry to improve rail services, particularly the Great Western Mail Line between Swansea and London with the ultimate goal of securing the electrification of the line as part of a high speed rail network,

The Transport plan commits to increasing the capacity of the Valley Lines – with additional platforms, carriages and services. This is in addition to the £3.2 million we are contributing to the new park and ride spaces along the South Wales rail routes. We also intend to integrate the development of cycle routes through the South-East valleys.

In Newport we will complete both the redevelopment of the rail station and the improvement to Gaer junction to enable direct rail services between Ebbw Vale and Newport by 2011 – a crucial development for the Heads of the Valleys regeneration scheme.

Further West we will redouble the railway line between Gowerton and Lougher.

On the South Wales road network we will complete improvements to the A465 Heads of the Valleys road by 2020 adhering to the exact timetable I inherited. We will also start a programme of works to reduce journey times on the A40 and the A477. We will also fund the completion of the Port Talbot Peripheral Distributor Road to reduce congestion on the M4 and the Church Village by-pass.

As members know the Welsh Assembly Government wants to improve access to Cardiff airport. We have consulted on a number of potential schemes. Following a study on potential routes to the Airport which highlighted the limited economic benefits to the Airport itself, when compared to the cost of the scheme, and concerns around the environmental impact I am announcing we will not be taking forward these proposals. Instead we will invest in improvements to the A4226 Five Mile Lane which will help ease traffic movement at Weycock Cross and will improve the safety of the road.

I can also announce that we will improve public transport access to Cardiff Airport, by creating more frequent bus and train services connecting the airport and Cardiff – as well as providing more convenient and regular trains between Bridgend and Barry.

The National Transport Plan sets out how we will resolve issues of capacity, safety and resilience along the M4 corridor in south-east Wales.

In 2004 the Wales Spatial Plan identified the need to increase transport capacity along the M4 corridor. Subsequently the New M4 scheme was included in the trunk road forward programme. The estimated cost of the scheme at that time was £340 million and the intention was that it would be taken forward as a public-private partnership, built with private finance which would be recovered through tolling.

Today, the cost of constructing the new M4 scheme with VAT and potential inflaction is estimated to be in the region of 1 billion pounds which means that the project has become unaffordable. The business case demonstrates that tolling the new M4, whilst other routes remain free to use, would significantly reduce the economic, environmental and social benefits of the project. Tolling of the new M4 alone would not raise the funds necessary for the scheme, and tolling both roads, in addition to the toll on the Severn crossings, would damage the attractiveness of South Wales for investment. We have therefore decided that other methods of addressing the safety and capacity issues on the existing route and other routes parallel with it represent better value for money and we will not to be implementing the Relief Road scheme.

We do however accept the need to urgently address safety and capacity issues on the existing route and today I can announce that this work will be accelerated. Over the next two years we will seek to introduce a range of measures which will include:

New rail facilities and stations within the Newport area and the introduction of Park and Ride sites throughout south-east Wales.
Improvements and modifications to motorway junctions to ease the movement of local traffic whilst ensuring long-distance traffic flows freely.
Enhancements and improvements to the local road network, combined with a focus on local travel planning

Through these measures we will seek to tackle congestion around the Tredegar Park area and reduce the traffic flows through the Brynglas Tunnels. We will also explore making considerable improvements to the steelworks access road and the Southern Distributor Road. In terms of improving safety, we will install concrete central reserve barriers and introduce a controlled motorway infrastructure between junctions 24 and 29.

My message to businesses and the wider community is that this Government is committed to reducing congestion, restoring capacity and reliability to this absolutely vital East/West corridor. And today we are pledging to do so in a way which is financially and environmentally sustainable as well as improving the resilience of the road with urgency.

Transport plays a crucial role in uniting our country and ensuring economic prosperity but we must get the balance right. We are no longer just being warned about climate change – we are starting to experience the impact. And the period of economic growth that many of us have enjoyed has ended with a jolt that we have all felt.

It is therefore important to be measured in our response.

This sustainable, integrated transport plan will contribute to economic recovery; it will help people get to jobs and access services and facilities where they might have struggled without a car.

The Plan will also help us to deliver our contribution to the environment, particularly our targets for emissions reductions and create a sustainable, integrated transport system fit for 21st century Wales.

So Alun Davies won the nomination to stand for the next Assembly seat for Labour in Blaenau Gwent, I hear. I also understand that it was a very close competition. 

So, the fight between Alun Davies and Trish Law starts here. AMs representing the Mid and West area are waking up happy this morning I can bet. I can see the press releases now- ‘Alun Davies doesn’t priortise this area, he’s more interested in South East Wales’…hmmm.

Trish Law will relish the chance to prove that she can retain the seat. It may make plenary session debates more interesting, anyway!

Alun Davies is either ready for the challenge- which may be made easier if the Tories win in Westminster, or is annoyed that he didn’t hold out to try for the Islwyn or Aberafan seat which Labour members are undoubtedly fighting over to win nominations for. Time will tell.

But on another note, do any of the Labour members out there know how Alun Pugh did? I swear the press were reporting it as an Alun v Alun fight a few months ago.

Welsh Bloggers in the pub is set to take place tomorrow evening at the Vulcan Pub in Cardiff for those of you who wish to attend. I’m not entirely sure if this is exclusive to bloggers, those who read blogs, who comment, or whatever (will anon commenters and anon bloggers be outed?!)

The website says that the intention is to ’ meet up a couple of times a year and would serve to improve relations, promote better communication and give bloggers a chance to socialise in the real world.’….

Assembly proceedings are  supposed to go on quite long tomorrow, which has also meant that my short debate on open cast mining has been deferred to September unfortunately. However, after I’ve hosted an event to celebrate the success of the Women’s Rugby team at the Senedd, I think I will pop over to the Vulcan. See you there!

The Health Minister formally announced the Welsh Assembly Government’s Framework to treat eating disorders in Wales last Friday. In today’s Western Mail, I have written an article on the new framework, and outline my opinion on it. You can read it here. I am so pleased that there is finally a framework on eating disorders. Yes, campaigners have been waiting ten years for such a government led initiative, but we have to look forward positively now, and ensure that it is implemented effectively, and that the cross party group on eating disorders monitors it on a regular basis. 

I want to say thank you to everyone who has been involved in the cross party group in lobbying the Minister to implement this framework, and in being so persistent in making sure that it happened!

I know this sounds like the Oscars now, but it is important to thank Edwina Hart again for listening to us, meeting with delegations of the cross party group, and being pro active. She could easily have ignored us, or swept the issue to one side, but she opened consultation on a framework, and has given money to develop services.

We will continue to campaign obviously- especially given the fact that one of our core aims as a group is to campaign for an NHS based in patient centre in Wales- dedicated to treating eating disorders. I won’t be put off by the tight financial settlement. Even if it takes quite a few years, I think its worth keeping at it. Scotland has opened such as centre recently in Aberdeen, and I’m speaking to the brains behind the venture next week in the hope of organising a conference call for our next cross party group meeting on the 29th of September at the Senedd.

So I’ll leave it at that, and hope that this policy is successful, and that Wales can lead the way in relation to this most important issue.