Power to the people
Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 8:18pm
4 responses
I enjoyed the Bevan Foundation event today at Merthyr College. I arrived for Ruth Marks, the Older People’s Commissioner’s speech, and enjoyed the digital stories created by the over 50′s forum in Caerphilly. They are basically a series of photos in a video, with a voice over of a story or an issue that is of importance to the older person in question. I’ve suggested that they tailor the digital stories in a way that they can potentially introduce them as petitions to our petitions committee at the National Assembly for Wales. I’ll take up the issue with other members of the committee in the New Year. It seems a good way of making the system more interactive, and of creating a real and effective role for those groups who are developing digital stories.
I thought of the petitions committee as a vehicle, as next week I am recording a short youtube clip of the committee’s decision on a petition from Ysgol Hen Felin which was asking for more community facilities for disabled children. I’ll send the clip to the school on behalf of the committee- to be sent instead of us writing a formal letter. I hope we can do more of this type of work via the petitions committee in the future.
There was also a video made by Mencap’s Partners in Politics scheme on display today, and representatives from Merthyr’s Youth Forum talked about the work of engaging young people in decision making processes in the area. I understand that some students were filming the whole day’s events, and will be creating a video of the highlights of the day- one of them may be the comments made from the floor by the Blaenau Gwent councillor who is part of the No campaign on future powers for the National Assembly, when he criticised the Welsh language and the way that it is being forced upon us… Surely it is a human right? It wasn’t the most productive of comments on a day when we were discussing social inclusion and equality of opportunity.
The panel discussion that I took part in was very interesting- questions ranged from child poverty to paying for care for the elderly, to lifelong learning, to barriers to access to the political system. I’ll look forward to looking at the video of the event, and of taking part in other such events in the New Year.
In response to your blog, dated Thursday December 11, I must ask why, if
you felt so strongly about what the councillor said, you did not
respond at the event?
I assume it was not because you had no confidence in your party’s
position or your ability to debate?
Let me remind you that you are paid from the public purse and have a responsibility to air your views
publicly. It looks like you missed an opportunity for public debate on a
significant issue! And before somebody points out that this blog is
public information, let me remind you of one of the salient issues of
the “power to the people” event, that was Digital Exclusion! Therefore the
vast majority of attendees would not know how to access this
information based on what was portrayed in the event. Echoing the
Children’s commissioner’s remarks that information is power, leads me
to believe that there are portions of information that you are unwilling to
divulge, maybe in fear of losing power publicly because it depreciates
your crusade to separate Wales from a much needed democratic
partnership with our neighbours in other parts of United Kingdom.
What did the Councillor say? I remember him saying several times “I am
not anti Welsh language”. I even made a note of it!
I believe he is pro Wales, just not the Wales Plaid Cymru want! I
believe the people of Wales deserve to be asked what they want and all
credit to the Councillor for sharing his views to fellow members of
the Bevan Foundation so that I can make an informed choice when I
pledge at the ballot box.
hmm the councillor concerned is ‘pro wales’ is he? Well surely if he is pro wales and wants the best for the people of wales he would be in favour of them gaining more control of their lives via the assembly gaining greater powers?
i think the fact that the individual councillor concerned chose to raise the welsh language as an issue is indicative of the kind of negative campaign we can expect from the NO campaign in the referendum! ie they will try to scare people into voting No.
Thankfully times have changed and most people in wales have moved on since 1979 when outright lies peddled by the likes of glenys kinnock and Lord Bedwelty were an effective political weapon! It did not work in 97 and it will not work in 2011.
It’s a disturbing statement on the condition of democracy in Wales that whenever anyone raises concerns about the current nationalist direction of the Welsh Assembly or the ‘One Wales Government’, they are immediately accused of being anti-Welsh or anti-Welsh language. I believe that the councillor (Risca, by the way, Bethan – you need to get informed) was referring to the potential economic consequences to Wales and the Welsh people of the second Welsh Language Act which will require private businesses to provide services in Welsh even in the most anglicised (and poorest) of areas – a burdensome extra cost in a time of recession.
How can this defence of jobs and the working people of Wales possibly be construed as anti-Welsh or anti-Welsh language?
The cost of the Assembly in 2006-7 amounted to £365 million for administration alone. More powers will result in twenty extra AMs, with all the expense that that will entail, and we can only imagine the obscene amounts of money that will be pocketed by lawyers if Wales receives further law-making powers. It is the very poorest in society who will suffer if nationalists get their way.
The real anti-Welsh, I would argue, are those who are happy to bring Wales to its knees for the sake of ideology.
I apologise if I didn’t get the location of the Councillor correct but I will still say that I was concerned with the views of said councillor towards the Welsh language.