leadership hopefuls and first day jitters
Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 3:47pm
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We’re all back at the Assembly, but we’re all a bit rusty, it has to be said. I speak for myself more than anything! Its odd being back after so long, though I’m not knocking it. It is quite subdued in the main plenary session. Perhaps because so many of the other parties have internal leadership elections to think about. Huw Lewis was being quiet about his leadership intentions when I saw his interview at Labour conference on the Politics Show this weekend. In my humble opinion, he’s hoping not to rock the boat too much- deciding ultimately not to run on a platform of removing Labour from the One Wales agreement. Nevertheless, most people know that he is not one of its main supporters, but perhaps he has learnt that to stab people in the back, like Labour members are doing to Gordon Brown at present, is not the best way forward for party unity! And who knows what he will do if he is elected as Leader. Many such politicians in his position in the past have not kept to their hustings promises, we all know that unfortunately.
A spy of mine at Labour conference tells me that Leighton Andrews was also trying to pitch for the leadership during the Labour Conference. The Welsh media were supposedly swarming around him to get his views on the subject. Carwyn Jones has gone quiet on the leadership front. Surely he’s not leaving it to Huw and Leighton to fight it out? Now that would be interesting!
On another note, I’ve raised questions regarding fuel poverty today at the Assembly. I’ve also asked the Welsh Assembly Government to liaise with Higher Education Institutions regarding the fact that many students have been placed in temporary accommodation in their first week at University. This is obviously not acceptable, yet it happens time and time again as if it is just something that new students must live with. I also raised the issue of the future of Ogmore Residential Centre during business questions. Despite Carwyn Jones purporting to be a supporter of the Centre and its retention, he merely replied that this was a matter for the local council to deal with (the local council want to sell the land to develop housing by the way. What a surprise!) I asked for the Welsh Assembly Government to intervene, and to look at whether they could develop it as part of a youth arts strategy. I will pursue this matter, despite the flat response from Carwyn Jones, by writing directly to both Jane Hutt AM and Alun Ffred Jones AM on this matter.
I spent most of my school holiday’s on Glamorgan Valley Orchestra courses at the centre. Now the Orchestra has to travel to Lampeter to practise as the centre is currently closed for usage. This should not happen. In a week where Karl Jenkins is making statements about the need for more funding for youth arts, I really think that there is scope to develop the Centre for the area, and for Wales. We are minded to remember that it is a Council issue, and I will be contacting the new Labour run council without a doubt.
