Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Assembly Foreign Affairs Debate

Today, in the National Assembly for Wales, Plaid Cymru tabled the following motion for debate;

"This Assembly notes the concern raised in Wales by individuals, organisations and public protests relating to the military action taken in the Gaza Strip".

If we ignore the issue of whether this is an appropriate motion for debate in the National Assembly for Wales, I can accept this as a reasonable motion, even if I would have preferred "and Israel" to be added at the end.

There was an attempt by The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to table amendments to this motion - which I'm told were not called because the Presiding Officer decided it to be a 'Take note' motion, which cannot be amended. I thought you might be interested in the amendments that were included on the published order paper but not called.

The Conservatives put forward;

"Calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to make representations to the UK Government to help find a long term solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through negotiating a two state agreement that achieves a viable and secure Palestine existing alongside a secure Israel."

The Liberal Democrats put forward;

"Calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to make representations to the UK Government to halt arms exports to Israel."

What do you think of that?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

"This Assembly notes the concern raised in Wales by individuals, organisations and public protests relating to the military action taken in the Gaza Strip".

"Calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to make representations to the UK Government to help find a long term solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through negotiating a two state agreement that achieves a viable and secure Palestine existing alongside a secure Israel."


No shit Sherlock!!!

These are mere statements of what is commonly know as "the bleedin' obvious."

For how much longer must we suffer this irrelevant, useless and expensive Hot Air Assembly?

Frank Little said...

I'm in two minds. The legalist in me deprecates motions strictly irrelevant to the governance of Wales being debated in the Senedd. (I have the same objection to motions strictly for publicity purposes being put on council agendas, though I know many of my party colleagues in other authorities do so.)

On the other hand, it is LibDem party policy to stop the sale of arms to Israel. If there must be a debate on Gaza, then I would expect our point to be put.

For the nation which devised the Uzi, and has built its own nuclear weapon, to buy in sophisticated battlefield weapons seems to me to be literal overkill.

Anonymous said...

Da iawn aelodau'r cynulliad cymri!

Anonymous said...

So Israel under Plaid doctrine is not entitled to defend itself from Hamas/Iranian backed rocket fire - which went on for years and years. If Hamas/Iran did not target civilians in Israel with suicide bombs and rockets there would be open borders and free movement of goods and services. Instead Hamas wants the destruction of Israel, it's in its manifesto and Plaid expect Israel to tolerate rocket fire on its towns. Israel begged for the rocket fire to stop, but it went on and on.

Anonymous said...

How about stopping Iran supplying rockets to Hamas? Hamas is aligned with Iran and Hezbollah. Would London, which won't even let Wales decide its own housing policy, tolerate 60 rockets a day being fired from Wales onto Bristol? Serdot in Israel has experienced years of rocket fire, they are in constant fear of the next rocket landing on them.

But there's Plaid Cyrmu who should be concerned with Welsh matters such as the low GVA Welsh economy but instead ignores steps that could be taken to fix the low GVA economy and instead wants to get involved in non-Welsh affairs.

Anonymous said...

This Plaid 'initiative' makes Wales look totally stupid and irrelevant to mainstream politics. It's embarrassing to Wales. While Welsh families struggle to make ends meet, there’s Plaid acting stupid. But hey, that’s Plaid for you. Totally out of touch.

Anonymous said...

I think it is awful what has been happening to Gaza in recent times, he was such a gifted footballer.

Frank Little said...

Israel should learn from post-diaspora history. For instance, Oliver Cromwell thought he was defending the commonwealth by decimating the rebel population in Ireland. The counter-violence which resulted is only just being wound down, thanks to John Major and Tony Blair taking a different approach.

Anonymous said...

When I was a student at the LSE the students union used to pass motions attacking US foriegn policy at virtaully every meeting.. No one took any notice whatsoever. As for the Assembly who cares how they decide to amuse themselves on a wet afternoon in January. The average Isreali politician if they have even heard of Wales will porbably have the same attitude as Stalin when he was told that the Pope was concerned.'How many divisions have the Welsh got?' I'm sure that most bookies would back the IDF against the provisional wing of Plaid Cymru anyday.

Anonymous said...

Frank H. Little> news to me that the government of Ireland had the total destruction of England written into their constitution.

Glyn Davies said...

Alistair - Personally, I did not think this an appropriate debate for the Assembly. Its not that I don't think there's room for debate about issues where the Assembly do not have any power, but I didn't think it direct enough. I remember being in favour of a debate following the attack on New York in 2001, because I saw that as an attack on the West, which includes Wales. We would all have differing views on what is appropriate.

Frank - I did not like the Lib dem amendment at all. I see its logic, but any end to hostilities, or long term solution must involve a Palestinian state and Israeli security. Any proposition that takes just one side of this, however tenuous is unacceptable to me.

Roman - He was a wonderful player, but always a pillock. I never forgave him for the two footed challenge he launched on a Forest player one minute into a Cup Final, the only one that I've attended - with No 2 son, who was (and is) a Forest fan. He should have gone, but the ref bottled it. Poetic justice in that he was carried off soon afterwards with a serious injury.

Frank again - I think that the Israelis have more in common with the rebel forces in Ireland than with Oliver Cromwell. They are seeking to defend their homeland, and are not prepared to just sit there and wait to be driven into the sea. I can understand that their will be debate about the tactics that the IDF uses, but its all very well for us, sitting comfortably at home, with no-one firing rockets at us.

All other comments indicate our varying responses. Perhaps next weeks debate will be on Obama's surge in Afganistan!