Bethan Jenkins AC/AM Blog

Yr wythnos hon, gofynnais cwestiwn yn y Senedd yn ystod cwestiynau  i’r Prif Weinidog yn dilyn datgeliad yn y Western Mail bod penaethiaid y BBC yn cael y dasg o dorri  20% ar draws y bwrdd yn sgil rhewi’r ffi drwydded a’u cyfrifoldebau mewn perthynas â dyfodol S4C. Rhaglennu fel Week In Week Out, a’r Politics Show Cymru sydd ymysg y rhaglennu maent yn cynnig torri. Dyma beth wnes i ofyn-

“O ystyried y newyddion syfrdanol y bore ma o doriadau o Lundain i gyllideb  BBC Cymru ac i rhaglennu BBC Cymru, yn ogystal â’r ansicrwydd sy’n wynebu S4C, byddech yn gofyn i DCMS [yr Adran dros Ddiwylliant, y Cyfryngau a Chwaraeon] i ddatganoli darlledu i Gymru,  fel y gallwn ddiogeli rhaglennu yma yng Nghymru? ‘

Dywedodd y Prif Weinidog Cymru, yn nes ymlaen yn y dydd, ei bod wedi ymrwymo i alw am gyfarfod gyda Jeremy Hunt, y Gweinidog sydd, i ddweud y gwir, yn benderfynol o danseilio Cymru, a darlledu yma yng Nghymru.

Fe wnes i alw ar ddarlledu i gael ei ddatganoli i Gymru, fel y gallwn cael y reolaeth yma yng Nghymru dros ddyfodol ein cyfryngau. Yn ddiweddarach awgrymais y syniad  o ffederaleiddio BBC Cymru, BBC Scotland a BBC Gogledd Iwerddon, gan adael penderfyniadau rhwydwaith yn ganolog. Rwy’n bryderus iawn y bydd y toriadau arfaethedig yn cael effaith niweidiol ar ein hunaniaeth yma yng Nghymru, yn effeithio ar y drafodaeth ynghylch gwleidyddiaeth Cymru er i ni gael refferendwm ar bwerau pellach i’r Cynulliad, a beth fydd hyn yn ei olygu ar gyfer S4C.

Daeth y drafodaeth ar ddyfodol darlledu Cymraeg yn fwy pwysig heddiw, wrth i fanylion y toriadau arfaethedig cael ei datgelu yn y Western Mail. Mae dogfennau y BBC  yn y papur yn mynd drwy’r holl raglenni yn fanwl, gyda gwybodaeth ar raddfa’r toriadau, a’r effaith bosibl. Dyma rai ohonynt-

Rhaglen: Politics Show

Arbed: £ 173,000

Effaith: Llai o risg i’r enw da na cholli unrhyw raglenni gwleidyddol arall fel y medrir gweld ei fod yn cyfrwng fwy addas ar gyfer rhanbarthau Lloegr.

Rhaglen: Ffeil

Arbed: £ 391,000

Effaith: risg uchel o ystyried y ffocws ar S4C, pe byddai’n dod i ben fyddai’n cael effaith gan ei fod yn y rhaglen i dargedu gynulleidfa ifanc.

Rhaglen: am.pm (torri i un rhaglen yr wythnos gyda chynffon top cyflwynydd a)

Arbed: £ 210,000

Effaith: niwed i enw da gyda’r rhai sy’n gwneud penderfyniadau, gostyngiad o gynnwys gwleidyddol ar adeg pan mae llywodraeth ddatganoledig yn cyrraedd aeddfedrwydd.

Fel y gwelwch, mae hyn yn peri cryn bryder, ac rwy’n deall bod unrhywbeth yn bosib, gyda phob opsiwn dal ar y bwrdd. Bydd yr adolygiad o wasanaethau yn cael ei wneud gan Ymddiriedolaeth y BBC, ac fe fydd ymgynghoriad yn cael ei lansio yn y Gaeaf yn ol beth dwi’n deall.

Beth sydd o ddiddordeb i mi yn hyn i gyd yw sut mae’r BBC yn ymateb yn swyddogol-maent yn datgan nad oes angen mynd o flaen gofid, a bod ‘dim penderfyniadau wedi eu cymryd’. Serch hynny, rwy’n meddwl bod hawl i ni cwestiynnu yr ymateb swyddogol. A yw’r toriadau yn anochel, ac os felly, pam nad yw hyn yn cael ei adlewyrchu yn gyhoeddus? Pam nad ydyn nhw’n mynd nol at rheolwyr y BBC yn ganolog, ac yn brwydro’r toriadau?

Wrth gwrs, mae’n rhaid i ni edrych yn fanwl ar sut y bydd hyn yn effeithio staff, ac ysbryd y staff , a sut  bydd hyn yn effeithio ar Gymru a dyfodol darlledu Cymraeg. Yn anffodus nid oes gennym sesiwn cwestiwn Prif Weinidogol yr wythnos nesaf gan fod yn hanner tymor, ond byddaf yn sicr yn ysgrifennu at y BBC, i Jeremy Hunt, ac yn ceisio cael dadl frys yn y Senedd. Ni allwn eistedd yn ôl ac aros am rhaglennu yng Nghymru i gael ei rwygo i ddarnau. Rydym eisoes wedi gweld gostyngiad gwasanaethau ar ITV Cymru a’r bygythiad i S4C. Mae cyfryngau print hefyd yn dirywio, ac felly mae’n rhaid i’r mater hwn cael ei drin fel mater o frys.

Wrth wneud hynny, dylem edrych ar rhwymedigaethau y BBC o fewn y siarter rhwng y BBC a’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol. Rwyf wedi rhoi’r rhan yn y siartr sydd yn fwyaf perthnasol i’r mater hwn isod. Beth sy’n digwydd os yw e’n cael ei dorri? A yw’n cael ei ail negodi gyda’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol? Mae hwn yn faes yr wyf wedi ymrwymo i edrych i mewn i fel llefarydd Plaid Cymru ar hyn yn y Cynulliad.

9. Cynrychioli’r DU, ei gwledydd, ei rhanbarthau a’i chymunedau
(1) Wrth ddatblygu (ac adolygu’r) pwrpas y cylch gorchwyl ar gyfer cynrychioli’r DU, ei gwledydd, ei rhanbarthau a’i chymunedau, mae’n rhaid i’r Ymddiriedolaeth, ymysg pethau eraill, ceisio sicrhau bod y BBC yn-
(a) yn adlewyrchu ac yn cryfhau hunaniaeth ddiwylliannol trwy cynnwys gwreiddiol ar lefel leol, ranbarthol a chenedlaethol, ar brydiau, dod â chynulleidfaoedd at ei gilydd i rannu profiadau;
a

(b) yn hyrwyddo ymwybyddiaeth o wahanol ddiwylliannau a safbwyntiau gwahanol, drwy gynnwys sy’n adlewyrchu bywydau gwahanol bobl a chymunedau gwahanol o fewn y DU.
(2) Wrth wneud hynny, mae’n rhaid i’r Ymddiriedolaeth roi sylw ymhlith pethau eraill i-
(a) pa mor bwysig yw adlewyrchu credoau crefyddol; a (b) pa mor bwysig yw darpariaeth briodol mewn iaith leiafrifol.

This week, I asked a question in the Senedd during First Minister’s questions following revelations in the Western Mail that BBC Wales bosses are tasked with cutting 20% across the board as a result of the  license fee freeze and responsibilities concerning the future of S4c. Programmes such as Week in Week Out, the Wales Politics Show are among the programmes which are proposed to be axed. Here’s what I asked-

“Given the shocking news of cuts this morning from London to BBC Wales’ budget and to the programmes of BBC Wales as well as the uncertainties facing S4C, would you now ask DCMS [the Department for Culture, Media and Sport] to devolve broadcasting to Wales so we can protect programming here in Wales?’

The First Minister, later on in the day, committed to calling for a meeting with Jeremy Hunt, the Minister who is, quite frankly, hell bent on undermining Wales and Welsh broadcasting.

I called for broadcasting to be devolved to the National Assembly for Wales, so that we can have the control here in Wales over our media’s future. That doesn’t mean government will run the show in my view, but that decision making will be closer to the people that broadcasters cater for. I later floated the idea that BBC Wales, BBC Scotland and BBC Northern Ireland programming becomes a federal system, with network decisions happening centrally.  I am extremely worried that  these proposed cuts will have a detrimental impact on our identity here in Wales, will affect the discussion surrounding Welsh politics when we have only just had a referendum on further powers for Wales, and what this will mean for S4C.

The discussion on the future of Welsh broadcasting became even more urgent today, as the detail of the proposed cuts were revealed in the Western Mail. The BBC documents are printed in the paper, going through all the programmes in detail, with information on the scale of the cuts suggested, and the potential impact. Here are a few of them-

Programme: Politics Show

Saving: £173,000

Impact: Less reputational risk than the loss of any other political programming as it was always perceived as a vehicle better suited to English regions.

Programme: Ffeil

Saving: £391,000

Impact: High risk given the focus on S4C, ending Ffeil would also have a big impact because it is the only programme we target at a young audience.

Programme: am.pm (cut to one programme per week with presenter top and tail)

Saving: £210,000

Impact: Reputational damage with decision makers, reduction of political content at a time when devolved government attains maturity.

As you can see, this is very concerning, and I understand that anything is possible, with all options still on the table. The review of services will be carried out by the BBC Trust, and a public consultation will be launched in the Autumn I am told.

What is of interest to me in all of this is how the BBC is responding officially- they are stating that it is all ‘speculation’ and  that ‘ no decisions have been taken’. Nonetheless, I think its right for us to question this official response. Are they admitting the inevitability of these cuts, and if so, why is this not reflected publicly? Why are they not putting up a fight, and contesting this with BBC bosses in London?

Of course, we must look closely at how this will affect staff, and staff morale firstly, and how this will affect Wales and the future of Welsh broadcasting. Unfortunately we do not have a First Minister’s question session next week as it is half term, but I will certainly be writing to the BBC, to Jeremy Hunt, and seeking an urgent debate at the Senedd. We can’t sit back and wait for programming in Wales to be ripped to pieces. We have already seen services decrease on ITV Wales, the threat to S4C. Print media is also in decline, and so this matter must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

In so doing, we should look at the obligations of the BBC within the charter between the BBC and the Secretary of State. I have put the part in the charter most relevant to this issue below. What happens if this charter is broken? Is it re negotiated with the Secretary of State? This is an area that I am committed to looking in to as Plaid’s spokesperson on this in the Assembly.

9. Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities
(1) In developing (and reviewing) the purpose remit for representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities, the Trust must, amongst other things, seek to ensure that the BBC—
(a) reflects and strengthens cultural identities through original content at local, regional and national level, on occasion bringing audiences together for shared experiences;
and

(b) promotes awareness of different cultures and alternative viewpoints, through content that reflects the lives of different people and different communities within the UK.
(2) In doing so, the Trust must have regard amongst other things to—
(a) the importance of reflecting different religious and other beliefs; and (b) the importance of appropriate provision in minority language

This week, Dafydd Elis Thomas joined us on the backbenches of Plaid Cymru for the first time in quite a while. I welcome him back in to the heart of the Plaid Cymru Assembly group, though it is odd not to see him in the Presiding Officer’s chair.

Carwyn Jones announced his new cabinet on the floor of the chamber yesterday. It was amusing to watch the Conservative leadership candidates jockey for position by seeking to out speech one another, though, with regards to Carwyn Jones’s appointment I have a few comments to make.  I now understand that Huw Lewis takes responsibility for S4C, and that the Welsh Language is firmly in the Education brief. Heritage is also in the same department as housing and regeneration.

I’ve heard a few whisperings from people in the sporting World, who are worried that sport will be sidelined due to the sheer variety of this portfolio. The same has been said on the issue of rural affairs, with a Deputy Minister now responsible for the majority of the work in this area. Time will tell if this is sufficient. Transport isn’t linked in to the same brief as economic development, and this point was made by Ieuan Wyn Jones during the plenary session yesterday, when he stated that he was concerned about policy divergence as a result of this portfolio split.

I welcome the fact that there are less Ministers in the cabinet, which was a pledge made by us in our Manifesto, but I am far from sold on the concept of the delivery unit that Carwyn Jones is going to set up. Labour, after all, have been in power for 12 years. Isn’t it a bit odd that they now see fit to set up a delivery unit after all this time? What have they been doing up to this point, people will surely ask.

If individual Ministers are going to be scrutinised by AMs on a weekly basis, isn’t it just a waste of time to set up another layer of bureaucracy?  It sounds more like a PR stunt to me,  and an excuse to put out propaganda from the Government as opposed to detailed information on delivery and targets. How much will this unit cost? Who will run it? Who will report back to us as AMs on its progress?

My view is that the best way forward for Labour would be to release a plan of action and detail their vision for Wales, with key targets and pledges so that we can scrutinise them on their performance in a clear and transparent way. We need to understand what Labour’s vision is at the very least, and for them to show the people of Wales respect in this regard.  They pledged to stand up for Wales against the UK coalition cuts. How exactly can we hold them to account on this if they do not publish a working document?

After all, Labour has 30 seats, which isn’t a very comfortable number for them to be able to govern. They need our support to get things through, basically. Presenting a plan of action/ a document separate to their legislative programme would show that they are willing to work with other parties, and that they are serious about eradicating the culture of tribalism. Surely they cannot be expected to get away with saying  ‘ look in our manifesto’ time and time again? Some Labour Councillors are in denial that they facilitate the tribalism that exists in our communities. Quite often, it feels that if you are not Labour, you are not welcome. For example, I have been shown invites to events by our Councillors, such as an opening of a  care home in the area, where one AM who I will not name ( though you can guess the party) will be invited consistently to events, whereas other AMs will not be on the list. If this isn’t tribal, I don’t know what is.

On another note, the saga surrounding the 2 Lib Dem AMs who have been disqualified for holding positions on statutory bodies while they were candidates is ongoing. Some say that their positions should be void, UKIP has referred the matter to the Police, and all political parties are considering the way forward. The Assembly Commission is also looking in to the matter. I genuinely believe that the candidates were not aware of the rules in this area. But the question I would ask is, why not? The agents of regional candidates should be able to advise them on the rules, and so should the Electoral Commission. This matter has to be taken seriously, though I would say that if the Assembly has the power to rectify this problem, by perhaps referring it to the Standards Committee, then this could be a potential way forward. The Lib Dems in question have resigned their seats on the statutory boards, but whether this is enough for them to get their seats back  as AMs, I do not know. The pressure is mounting on them to step down, and to allow the people who are second on the regional lists to take their places…..I bet Eleanor Burnham is sitting at the edge of her seat in anticipation….

It would be wrong for me to say that Plaid did well in the National Assembly election campaign. To come third to the Tories in Wales is a reality that I am far from comfortable with, but something we must face up to, and address. You may have read comments online recently and in the press about the views of individual Plaid members and political commentators – from blaming the lack of Welsh press, to the strategy, to the fact that this was a referendum on the UK government’s cuts where Plaid got squeezed in the debate, and the role of Plaid post the referendum on more powers for our National Assembly.

All of these elements were raised at the party’s National Executive Committee meeting on Saturday, which followed Ieuan’s Friday announcement that he will stand down as leader within the next two years.  We are conducting a full analysis of the election results, the processes within the party, how decisions were carried out, where resources were prioritised, and how party members on a grassroots level are kept up to date with the national campaign.

We can take lessons from the SNP, although I must add that trips to Scotland by Plaid members happen already, and we are gaining a greater understanding of what they are doing by carrying out such research. We cannot directly compare the SNP’s results with ours, but we should never turn the opportunity down to learn from them, or from other parties across Europe where we have clear links.

What has always struck me is that when I visit my friends who are in the SNP, they never appear satisfied with the current constitutional arrangements, and raise their arms to indicate quote marks when discussing the Scottish ‘Parliament’ – they seem to suggest that they do not see it as such until they win Independence for their Nation. We should have the same confidence and passion to talk about the future constitutional aims of our party, and more importantly, discuss what type of Wales we want to see in an Independent Wales. We need to do this without fear that our political opponents will scaremonger or criticise us. They will do that anyway!

I am not sure that I share the concern of others who are asking ‘what is Plaid for?’ I know that Plaid is for greater autonomy for Wales, but for me it is the type and scope of that debate that we should be assessing- we need to look at what Plaid as a movement can now offer the people of Wales.

We must appeal to more people, for a start. Relying on the Fro Gymraeg for support is not sustainable if we want to realistically win seats in the South Wales Valleys and in cities like Swansea and Cardiff. This must be an aspiration if we really want to be the party of Wales. What we need to do is show Labour up for what it is – a party interested in winning for power’s sake. We need to change people’s perception of Plaid by proving that we can be effective representatives, and that we are an integral part of the communities in which we live and work.

Nonetheless, the elephant in the room with regards to the ongoing success of Labour in Wales is the unwavering support that they gain from trade unions who are affiliated to the Labour party, despite the fact that in Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taff, for example, the Labour-run councils have been far from effective in dealing with staff entitlements and conditions in the last few months. Please don’t get me wrong-there are Plaid members in these unions who do a great job of representing their colleagues, and I support many of the campaigns that unions carry out across Wales. But in my view, we need to create a new Welsh trade union system, that is not tied up to the Labour party, that offers its own distinctive agenda.

Cosying up to Labour now will not win us seats, especially when Labour tribalism in many of our towns is as strong as it has ever been. The relationship between Plaid and Labour in the Assembly for the last four years may have been relatively stable, but this was not reflected on a grassroots level. Carwyn needs to eradicate the tribalism in his own party before re-entering talks with Plaid Cymru on any level. The ball is not only in our court in terms of change and reform, but in Labour’s too.

Carwyn Jones cannot expect to gain our support for vital votes in the Assembly and then take all the credit for getting legislation through, and he cannot assume that we will support the Government so that there will be stability for Labour in Wales. If they carry out initiatives that we do not agree with, we should not shy away from saying so. And we should also note the fact that Labour will seek to implement policies in Wales because they are not in power on a UK level, and will push issues like fairer funding when they failed to do so for so many years.

Of course I am pleased that Plaid in government played a key role in delivering  a referendum on more powers for the National Assembly. I wanted the referendum sooner, but such debates are quite easy to have in hindsight, and the fact that we won the referendum is the most important thing. But just because coalitions are becoming the norm, and just because we have had a taste of power does not mean that as a party, or more importantly, as a movement, we should seek power for power’s sake. If it means we are in opposition for some time so that we can strengthen and re energise, then so be it. If it means that we can become bolder and clearer in what we do then why should that be seen as a negative?  We need to develop our appeal as a party, reach out, and become the true party of Wales.

Its nearly time for the ballot boxes to be closed and secured ready for their trip to the local count, and all the candidates are rushing around last minute, and preparing for the evening’s excitement ( well apart from North Wales, where they are counting tomorrow)

People have said that this election hasn’t been that exciting. Well, they have a point in that on a National level it hasn’t been the most exciting election in the World, but that’s partly to do with the fact that the Welsh media is quite weak, and that yet again, the London press has largely decided to ignore the ins and outs of our General Election to concentrate on the AV referendum instead.

Without the major cash injections that US political parties receive, there’s not a chance that political parties here can dream of having the same wall to wall coverage that, for example, the Republicans and Democrats enjoy during mid term and Presidential elections. They fight for votes on the screens, as well as doing the usual door knocking.

There has been use of the media during this election in terms of online videos and websites/ blogs of course, but it all means that individual citizens have to be pro active in writing those blogs, and updating those websites, and the same level of discussion hasn’t taken place online as happened in 2007, that’s for certain. I don’t think this is anyone’s fault, but many candidates like myself have been concentrating on speaking to people via Facebook and canvassing people online as we would do on the street or on a doorstep. Independent analysis has been effective by the likes of Adrian Masters of ITV Wales and on the website Waleshome.

However, this election has been fought on quite a local basis, and this may be one reason why, on a National level, it doesn’t appear so exciting to those who are monitoring things from the Cardiff Bay media bubble. Yes, some journalists have come to speak to us, but nobody has joined us in this area on the campaign trail to see what people are actually saying, and what their priorities are. I do like the idea of the BBC’s People’s Assembly-  ’real’ people who come together to discuss their views, who share their views on the various political shows. Its interesting to see how their opinions have varied as the weeks of campaigning have progressed. I have watched the Leader’s debates on both channels and have enjoyed them. People are quick to criticise, but I watched the Scottish debate, and Salmond was the only leader with anything of worth to say!

I wish all the Plaid candidates all the best of luck. Clearly I’m hoping for the best result for Plaid, for us to win more seats and to challenge the Labour party who time after time, take people in this area for granted. One Labour candidate was so arrogant that he even told a hall full of people that he wasn’t going to bother answering a questionnaire from a campaign group. Says it all really.

At this point, I’m looking forward to taking part in the ITV Wales Decides programme which is on at 10.30pm this evening. I’m then going to pop over to the Neath count to see how Alun Llewelyn is fairing, and then to Bridgend for my own result. Pob lwc Plaid!