Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

Aside from Chris Grayling’s faux pas yesterday in assuming that the announcement regarding General Sir Richard Dannatt’s appointment was a government one, ‘a gimmick’ as he called it, when in actual fact an announcement is to happen today at the Conservative Conference to appoint him as a working peer (paving the way for him to serve as a defence minister after the election) I believe that Sir Richard Dannatt should resign his position as General.

I’m not supportive of the war in Afghanistan at all, and I believe that British troops should be removed from the country. Nonetheless, Sir Richard Dannatt is appointed by the government, and should perform his duty accordingly. The role isn’t a political one, and is certainly not a party political role. If he wishes to see more troops in Afghanistan or more support from the government, then he should raise this with the Minister in charge, and in confidence. If he is unhappy, or takes issue with the direction of the military in said country, then my advice is that he takes the decision not work for the Government anymore, whose strategy it is to remain in Afghanistan despite 8 years of war, and minimal signs of a solution by violent means.

If he has announced his intentions to advise the Tories on policy at this juncture, then how can the Government be sure that he does not breach confidentiality, or compromise his position in any way? And if Dannatt wants to advise the Tories and become a Lord, then do so by all means, but be sure to leave the Military first.

If more and more General’s start speaking out against the Government in public, where will it stop? Will the military define and scope the political agenda of the government in question?  This could be very dangerous. What of the military in lower ranks, who are aggrieved at being sent to Afghanistan to fight a pointless war? Surely they would be disciplined, as they have been in past instances, for putting forward their own individual opinions in the press,  knowing full well what they have signed up to as members of the military forces?  Shouldn’t they accept the responsibilities that come alongside that role, or leave their positions immediately to speak out freely against the government’s activities?

 I agree with Menzies Campbell, who has said the following in today’s Guardian-

“By convention, our senior military are non-political, and an assertion of political allegiance so soon after leaving the Ministry of Defence will break that convention.”

But aside from this particular topic on Dannatt’s comments, I truly believe that we need a debate here in Wales on Afghanistan considering that there are Welsh troops fighting in the country. There is a protest in late October in London organised by Stop the War, but I think that we need to organise here in Wales, and to intensify the debate in opposition to the war, as was done during and before the Iraq war. It seems that there is currently a passive acceptance to Britain’s role in Afghanistan, and we need to challenge this from all angles.

Today I hosted an event at the Assembly of a new dvd produced by Barnardo’s Cymru alongside A Thousand Pictures Video Production Company of a film by young people in Wrexham, who are struggling to live their lives on benefits or on a minimum wage, while supporting a family of their own, or caring for others.

 The event was well attended, and successful. The young people talked about the challenges of living on the bread line, and their hopes and aspirations for the future. Of course, this agenda fits perfectly within the child poverty agenda, but it is very frustrating that we do not have the financial levers here in Wales to change the system.  I met with the young people, who travelled down to the Assembly today from Wrexham, and they were passionate about raising their concerns with decision-makers here, and at a Westminster level. They said that nobody should have to live in such poverty, and one actually said ‘I’d challenge an MP to live how I live for a week.’  We’ve proposed that they meet with candidates of all political parties for the Westminster election in their area, to discuss their main concerns, and why they feel that more young people should be supported.

Given that young people under 25 are the cohort of people who have been largely affected by this recession, especially given that they are unable to find jobs, or fund a University degree, we must take the views of the young people affected on board. Disparities in the minimum wage must be changed also. I say this, in full knowledge that if the Tories get in to power in Westminster, the benefits system will change dramatically. Their ideas on incapacity benefits are already very worrying indeed. Nonetheless, today was another wake up call that we can’t be complacent as politicians, and while its all well and good for us to have the United Nations Rights of a Child enshrined in all of the Welsh Government’s strategies, this must be reflected on the ground.

As the young people themselves said, they want to talk about these issues, as they do not want to see their own children living in poverty in years to come- of deciding whether to eat, or to heat their house.

Here is a link to the Barnardo’s web page, where you can view the video.

Mae Alun Ffred Jones wedi gwneud datganiad ar ddatblygiad yr LCO ar yr Iaith Gymraeg heddiw- er i Peter Hain briffio’r wasg cyn pawb arall neithwr, a cheisio fframio’r drafodaeth yng nghyd destun ei agenda ei hun. Un neges i Hain- stopia ymyrryd!

Dwi’n falch bod y broses nawr yn mynd yn ei blaen, ond mae angen i ni gael sicrwydd bod y broses yma o sicrhau’r LCO yn cael ei chwblhau erbyn mis Chwefror fel bod digon o amser i allu cyflwyno mesur ar yr iaith, fydd, am y tro cyntaf, yn rhoi hawliau ieithyddol i’r Cymry Cymraeg.

Dwi’n credu bod Peter Hain yn ceisio arafu’r broses drwy mynnu bod yr Uwch Bwyllgor Gymreig yn cael trafodaeth yn San Steffan ar yr LCO y mis yma. Mae Hywel Francis fel cadeirydd y pwyllgor materion cymreig heddiw mewn datganiad i’r wasg wedi gwrthod dweud ei barn hyd nes bod y drafodaeth hynny yn digwydd.

Ond beth yw’r pwynt o gael y drafodaeth yn yr Uwch bwyllgor mewn gwirionedd? Mae’r Cabinet, yn ol beth dwi’n deall, wedi cytuno i’r LCO gyda’r newidiadau. Pa rol felly sydd gan y pwyllgor ar lefel scriwtini ,o wybod bod Gweinidogion Llafur San Steffan wedi rhoi eu sel bendith iddo?  Dylen ni wthio ymlaen gyda’r LCO, heb cael trafodaeth ar ol trafodaeth ac hynny er mwyn ceisio cymodi ASau Unoliaethol.

Ar y mater o fudiadau a busnesau sydd yn dod i fewn i’r Ddeddf os ydynt yn derbyn cefnogaeth ariannol o £400,000 ,dwi o’r farn na ddylai fod yna unrhyw swm ariannol yn gysylltiedig gyda’r LCO yn y fath modd. Fe fydd rhan fwyaf o fudiadau fel Cadw a’r Gerddi Fotanig yn dod o fewn y swm hynny, ond nid dyna’r pwynt. Mae gwerth arian yn newid yn aml. Pam rhoi ffigwr ar y mudiadau sydd yn derbyn cefnogaeth ariannol gan y Llywodraeth o gwbl? Mater o egwyddor ynw hwn, yn syml, a dwi’n cytuno gyda Cymdeithas yr Iaith yn hynny o beth.

Gorau po gyntaf mae pwerau dros yr iaith yn cael ei drosglwyddo i’r Cynulliad yn fy marn i.

The Guardian reports today that there will be no punishment for the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes at London’s Stockwell tube station which took place in 2005. De Menezes was mistaken as a terrorist, and was shot by officers. This is the Independent Police Complaints Commission’s third review in to the case, and the commission stands by its decision not to hold officers to account, despite grave failings on the day.

The family of De Menezes are rightly angry at the judgement. They are  pursuing their case at the European Court, and the Telegraph informs us that ‘a compensation payout is expected to be agreed later this year with the Metropolitan police’.

The family are also alleging that many of the officers in question have been promoted since the shooting in 2005, which begs the question as to how the police can learn from this most tragic incident if officers are not punished or held accountable for their actions?

After all, an innocent man was killed in the cold light of day. Does this not set a precendence for the future? The police obviously anticipate that they may need to use similair tactics in the future if they are pursuing a lead on a person known to them as a terrorist, but does that justify their actions in this instance, and where will it stop?

A spokeswoman for the Justice4Jean campaign said the IPCC’s decision made a “mockery of the inquest’s findings” and that it ‘ gives a green light to police officers to act with impunity.’ It is difficult for me to disagree with this statement, given that nobody will be punished for what can only be described as a crime in itself, of killing an innocent man who was going about his every day life.

The campaign for justice for De Menezes has its own website, outlining its views on the failure of the police force, especially in relation to the ’shoot to kill’ policy. They state that this policy needs to be reviewed urgently -

‘If an armed officer has no intelligence or other information that tells him that the suspect has the means to detonate a bomb, he must issue a challenge or we risk repeat killings by the police.

A proper public debate about the ‘shoot-to kill’ policy is now long overdue’.

The campaign to seek justice for De Menezes is far from over. Today’s ruling must be discussed in the context of the London Government’s wider counter terrorism strategy. There are hundres of new laws relating to terrorism in the UK, many of which infringe on our civil liberties and fail to address the wider political and social ramifications of perceived terrorist threats on the UK.

Huw Lewis and Edwina Hart both raced to announce that they would be standing for the Labour Leadership contest in Wales after a somewhat hesitant announcement by Rhodri Morgan on Thursday that he would be leaving the position in December- ‘ I still love the job, I don’t want to leave..but I won’t be pushed out’ was the crux of it..

Huw Lewis got in there first, and there is no doubt that he will be pleased to get the nominations he needs. Guerilla Welsh Fare implies there are no surprises in the names of the AMs supporting him, and yes, they are the ones who opposed the One Wales agreement.

I have heard various opinions about Huw Lewis.  He is certainly seeking to be the leftist candidate, the down to earth guy from the Valleys, yet many I have spoken to from the area believe that he does not fit in to the above category. I certainly think that if Huw Lewis wants to win, he will need to show that he can unite Labour, and that he has a vision for the whole of Wales. However, the way in which he made road links a political football by accusing the Welsh Government of re-prioritising road development to  North- South from East to West (despite clear policy initiatives in One Wales) does not really reflect said vision. But as I’ve said before on this blog, at least Huw Lewis is keen, has floated ideas in various meetings and conferences, and has an eagerness to succeed.

Next to declare was Edwina Hart AM. Edwina Hart is no fan of the media, but I was still a little surprised that she chose youtube as her place to announce that she would be standing. A video address to the nation beside her Welsh dresser was her preferred option, and all on her own agenda.  She needs to continue to use this medium to communicate her message, now that she has initiated debate. There’s nothing more annoying than a politician trying to use new media who a) doesn’t understand it and b) is a flash in the pan, and gives up without pursuing it properly.

Edwina is an interesting character. She is to the point, and gets things done without any messing. She is strong in the Unions I am told, and this may prove difficult for Huw Lewis to compete against as the candidate on the left. Is the challenge for her to garner support from the MPs?  I hear that some are supporting Carwyn Jones who has not yet declared that he is standing.

Of course, at this stage the leadership contenders will be administering their own version of Gordon Brown’s ‘fightback’ talk to members in Wales, will be looking for internal support, and at internal politics of how to reinvent Labour. Nonetheless, they must be conscious of the fact that whoever wins will be the next First Minister of Wales. Too much navel gazing will not serve them well, and may alienate the Welsh public from the whole affair. (Although this may not be a bad thing for Plaid, who will be getting on with the job of delivering in Government without any distractions whatsoever!)

And to finish, I must mention the One Wales agreement. It is true to say that the One Wales coalition is between two parties and that it will take the parties alone to continue with the deal or to end it, but the view of a party leader is inevitably important, as that person will be negotiating future coalition deals. I think that its vital for Labour members to question the prospective candidates on their visions for the future based on the presumption that they will have to adapt their individual visions to enable them to work with other parties-  colours of which will vary, I am sure.

But by the way, I don’t intend to give a running commentary of events. The labour party can do that for themselves. I am merely stating an opinion given that one of them will be the new First Minister of Wales.

I hope the Labour candidates will take it in good faith, and pursue their campaigns with gusto…. Over to you….

Here is my question regarding kindey dialysis that I raised today with the Health Minister-

‘ The importance of dialysis provision in Wales has been recognised by you Minister, particuarly your work in partnership with Kidney Wales Foundation. There is a clear need in Wales for better renal servics and transport facilities to and from dialysis units. But I know you agree that transplantation is important, with 444 patients today waiting in Wales for a kidney transplant. The average cost of dialysis is £30,800 while the indicative cost of a kidney transplant is £17,000. Therefore transplantation not only creates a better and new life for the patient and increases life expectancy but it is in these days of cuts- economically efficient.

Do you therefore intend supporting thee Donate Wales campaign further to get more on the organ donation register and follow the Scottish Parliament and Executive ( who have 33% of the population on the register, when we in Wales hav 27%) by taking the lead for campaigning from UK Blood and Transplant based in Briston and reporting to Whitehall, and giving the responsibility officially in Wales to the charities involvd in Donate Wals. I say this as there are currently two organ donor forms in the pharmacies and doctor surgeries in my region, one made in Wales and the other in Bristol.’

Here is a question that I asked during First Minister’s questions today on Social Workers. I did put in an urgent question on the closure of the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians, but this was declined. I will raise it during business questions instead, as I have now drafted a statement of opinion on the matter for AMs to sign. I will put it on here later so that you can lobby your AM to sign if you care about the matter.

‘ The First Minister will recall that last Jun the Welsh Assembly Government indicated it would establish a Task Group to explore ways of improving the recruitment and retention of social workers and boost the status of the profession in Wales. The move was a response to British Association of Social Workers research highlighting the challenges facing social workers, including the high turnover of staff, excessive bureaucracy and the personal risks associated with front line social work. I was pleased to sponsor an event in the Assembly to highlight this research and pleased the Government responded in such a positive way. Can the First Minister provide an update on the progress that the working group has made, as I am led to believe that it has not yet met as a group.’

By the way, its Rhodri’s birthday today, and don’t we know it! Ann Jones tried to initate a  Happy Birthday sing along a la Marilyn Monroe( well, as said  Nick Bourne! ) but it fell flat, and was very embarrassing. If we would have had prior warning, we could have arranged a choir of AMs to sing, led by virtuoso, Eleanor Burnham of course!

Ah well. Next time, because the way things are going it seems that Rhodri Morgan will be First Minsiter longer than we think……

I was motivated to write this blog by a comment by a person on Facebook who stated that he ‘is appalled that London members of CWU have voted to abandon fund raising to the Labour Party. This will merely weaken the Labour left even further than it already is and give Brown even more of an excuse to distance himself further from the unions.’

The Camden New Journal reports that the CWU will officially poll opinion from members on whether it should continue funding the Labour Party. They plan to launch a  “consultative ballot” of members next week.

Tony Davis, regional CWU rep for north and north-west London, said:

“There will be a consultative ballot – it’s going to be announced next week. I think support for Labour is very, very low -– and I’m a party member,’ and Hampstead CWU rep John Coater said that ‘the Labour Party has instructed Post Com, which monitors our service, not to fine Royal Mail for failure. Normally, if Royal Mail failed to deliver post it would be would be fined. The cuts are Government-backed so I don’t see why we should support them.”

Considering that Union’s such as the CWU give the Labour party millions in financial backing every year, I commend the CWU for taking this action.  Gordon Brown and his cabinet colleagues are actively undermining the role of the public sector, especially in the  context of Post Officer reforms, therefore why shouldn’t the CWU protest?

What has Gordon Brown ever done to assist ‘the left’ in the Labour party on a UK level?  It seems to me that many of the Union leaders will talk the talk, but when it comes to challenging the government, they will remain quiet in their actions. Well done, therefore to the CWU for being bold. Perhaps they should consider switching their allegiance to Plaid Cymru, who has been consistent in opposing Post Office closures, and against privatising the Royal Mail?…It’s just a thought…Or even better, Plaid should set up our own Union of supporters…

The Government should not take the support of Union’s for granted, and neither should the Union’s become complacent. I can assure you, that if the Tories are elected to govern at Westminster, the Union’s will not hold back when the Tories make cuts to the public sector. Why should it be any different when it comes to Labour in London if they are proposing policies that undermine the members of their own political party? Allegiance for allegiance sake does not make for a strong political party, or for open and frank debate- something which desperately needs to happen within the Labour party.

 Union members should decide which party they affiliate to, and should not feel that if they are not members of Labour that they will be worse off in any way, or out of favour with Union leaders.  What is the worth of democracy, if they cannot act on their own democratic will? Yes there is strength in Union, but I believe that the Labour Government in Westminster disregarded that well know slogan, and its meaning, years ago.

So Rhodri Morgan didn’t announce that he was standing down at the weekend at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton. He said instead -

‘Wales’ worst kept secret – I’m not going to be with you next year as Welsh Labour Leader and I’ll be announcing, before too long, the exact details of how and when the election of my successor it going to take place.’

Some of the rumours before the Conference were that he would announce his departure yesterday, however, could he be waiting for a bigger occassion to announce it, I wonder?

Daran Hill over on Wales home states that ‘there would have been an outcry if he’d announced his departure from a platform in Sussex. It was probably the wisest thing he could have done.’  

That may be so, but it was the Celtic day of Conference ( for what I am told. I have, fortunately, never been to a Labour Conference:-)) and there would have been plenty of Welsh delegates present to justify Rhodri Morgan making such an announcement to members. Then again, perhaps he wants to do a Tony Blair, and announce his retirement to the local party faithful in Cardiff West, with a buffet of guacamole and mushy peas to accompany it! 

Nonetheless, Rhodri is set to make an announcement imminently and I sincerley hope his speech will have more depth than that of which he delivered at the Labour Conference. As I’ve said before on this blog, we are facing the stark reality of a Tory Government in Westminster.What more could Rhodri do for his legacy than to announce that he will play an active role in campaigning during a referendum on a parliament for Wales?- his legacy being that of delivering on a referendum for Wales, and leaving behind the shadow of his failure to implement the Richard Commission recommendations in full at a time when the main concern was to appease Labour party members. The issue is now too pressing to allow it to fall foul of internal squabbles, despite the fact that we are well aware of factions within Labour who are more concerned about preserving the jobs of MP’s in Westminster than delivering for Wales.

Yes, the outcome of the All Wales Convention is yet to be announced, but Rhodri Morgan is the First Minister, and it is expectant of him to show political leadership in this regard. There is no point in talking down the referendum, or assuming that people will not support it at this juncture.

Time is running out, what with an imminent General election, and Assembly elections to follow in 2011. Those of us who are campaigners are aware of the background work that needs to be done to ensure that a campaign of any sort is successful. Politicians from all parties cannot afford to waste time, especially given that a recent vote by AMs in the Senedd showed that we all want a referendum on legislative powers for Wales, that we acknowledge that the LCO system is unworkable, and that it cannot be sustained.

So Rhodri, if you are reading this, please make your retirement speech a hard hitting one, a strong message to the people of Wales that they are respected, that we deserve to have our own powers as a Nation, and that the referendum is on its way.

I’m really quite angry at Trinity Mirror’s decision to end the circulation of the Neath and Port Talbot Guardian.  They will print the last edition next Thursday. Publishing Editor for Trinity Mirror said that this has taken place due to the fact that  tough economic times means its continuation is not possible.  Considering that it has a wide circulation, I am puzzled by this decision. Why the Neath Guardian before other local Trinity Mirror papers? Is it really to do with financial constraints that they are axing the Neath Guardian, or other reasons?

The paper had already recently been amalgamated with the Glamorgan Gazette which covers the Bridgend area. Although it is in the same region that I represent, the people are different, the issues vary, and I found it hard to understand how already rushed journalists would try and cover stories over such a large geographical area.

Now of course that won’t be the concern of Trinity Mirror, but there will be less local news, and obviously less competition for the local daily, The Evening Post. I am personally annoyed of course because I had a column in the Neath Guardian, and could generate debate, in a different way to how I communicate here on this blog. It gives us the opportunity to air our opinions on a very local level, and to ensure that people know about what we are doing as AMs.

Now the news provision for the area will be centralised yet again, and I am not quite sure as yet what plans Trinity Mirror has to try and justify that they will be able to report locally while acting on a National basis. This is compounded by the fact that more jobs are set to go at Trinity Mirror, and the NUJ have asked their officials to organise a strike ballot following the company’s failure to guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies in a plan to cut jobs. The company has announced a two month consultation period for its redundancy proposals but Martin Shipton said that ‘although we have been briefed fully about the financial position of the company and the group, we are determined that no NUJ member should be made compulsorily redundant as a result of these cuts. We expect the company to ensure that will be the outcome.”

Alun Ffred Jones the Heritage Minister has said the following-

“The announcement by Media Wales of 15 job losses is disappointing, as is the news that the Neath Guardian title is to disappear. Regional news outlets have a key role to play in ensuring that people can read about events and decisions which affect their everyday lives in the newspapers.

“Local papers have historically been not only a key medium of discussion for local issues, but also a campaigning force within their local communities and I am saddened to hear of the demise of another local title’.

I understand that Alun Ffred Jones has met with Trinity Mirror to discuss the future of newspapers in Wales. It is a very worrying time for Welsh media, especially in light of the cuts in Welsh programming by ITV, and the fact that the Carter review seems to be sitting on a shelf collecting dust at the moment. Of course, I would like to see broadcasting fully devolved to Wales so that we can tackle these issues head on here in Wales, and now is the time to do it. What do we want to see for a Wales with devolved government in full flow? We certainly do not want to see more centralised news outlets, and a lack of plurality of programme providers. We have to act now or the industry will diminish before our eyes.