Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

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.

Dwi jyst am sgwennu post byr iawn i ddweud fy mod i’n meddwl am deulu Geraint Owen yn ystod y cyfnod caled yma. Bu farw Gertaint Owen ar nos Wener.

Roedd o’n sioc i bawb sy’n nabod o’n dda, ac fe fydd colled ar ei ol. Dim on 43 oed oedd o. Dwi ddim yn siwr beth yw’r rhesymau dros y marwolaeth, ond dwi’n gobeithio byddaf yn gallu mynychu’r angladd.

Roedd Geraint Owen yn adnabyddus am fod yn actor ar Bobl y Cwm, ac roedd o’n cael ei hadnabod yn lleol yng Ngastell Nedd fel ‘Bond’ ar ol iddo golli allan ar ennill y rol James Bond ar gyfer y ffilmiau mwyaf diweddar.

O’n i’n nabod Geraint drwy’r Blaid yng Nghastell Nedd. Roedd o wedi sefyll yn erbyn Peter Hain ar gyfer sedd Castell Nedd San Steffan yn y gorffennol, ac roedd o wedi rhoi help llaw i mi pan oeddwn i’n sefyll fel ymgeisydd pan oedd e’n gweithio i Janet Davies AC.

Eto, hoffwn i estyn pob cydymdeimlad i’r teulu yn ystod y cyfnod anodd yma.

I can’t say that I enjoy the show Strictly Come Dancing, but its in the press today because the show has decided to axe judge Arlene Phillips, 66,  in favour of a younger Alesha Dixon. The Guardian today has termed it, rather originally- ‘Strictly Come Sexism‘, as its believed that the BBC are keen to get viewing ratings up with the introduction of a younger woman on the judging panel. This is an issue that I believe broadcasters such as the BBC must address in terms of the accusations of ageism and sexism that dominate the headlines. Women such as Anna Ford, Moira Stuart and Selina Scott have been axed from key positions in the BBC, with Selina Scott stating that she was ‘deeply saddened’ by the lack of older women on the tv, and a row erupted last December, when older female presenters were axed from the show Countryfile.

Mark Lawson in the Guardian states that ‘…it is unarguable that, historically, two different rules seem to have applied to male and female broadcasters once the expense accounts of their managers have been charged for a certain number of birthday cards.’

In a totally unscientific piece of quick fire research, I googled ‘gender balance in the BBC’, and the first article that appeared was this rather ironically- an article on how female AMs have transformed Welsh politics. Yet I couldn’t find information on statistics of how many women the BBC employ, and the positions they hold. I am sure that I can find the information at a later date, but it would be interesting to find out how they go about changing the make-up of some of their more successful shows, and how they base decisions to axe certain individuals over others. It is a rather annoying trend of  BBC News, at least, to always have an older man sitting next to a young woman. This must be intentional. Surely they have carried out market research that indicates that this is a successful mix?

Still, it comes down to the sad fact that women still have to fight for recognition and approval even in the 21st century, and that we are far from being equal. We need only to quote that the pay gap between men and women has intensfied last year to 17.1% to realise that there is still much more to be done to realise equality of esteem and rights between men and women in the workplace.

Perhaps the BBC should follow the lead of the National Assembly and celebrate the role of women in the BBC much more so, and put key policies in place ensure that sexism and ageism is eliminated.

Yet of course, the National Assembly is far from perfect, and I am sure the results of the next Assembly election will result in a very different gender make-up- one balanced towards more men being elected as AMs as a result of the changes to the rules in the way some political parties decide on their candidates.

A discussion for another day, perhaps, but another example of the way that gender equality is still a long way away.